Breath of Life
by Pretty Racing
Summary: AU. No zombies. Rick/Beth. Beth Greene just moved to King County to escape Atlanta and she can't stop thinking about the local sheriff deputy, Rick Grimes.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: ** AU. Rick/Beth. Beth Greene just moved to King County to escape Atlanta and she can't stop thinking about the local sheriff deputy, Rick Grimes.

**AN: **A note on ages. According to my sources (Walking Dead Wiki) TV!Rick is never given an exact age, but comic!Rick is. Comic!Rick is 29 years old in the beginning, and Carl is 7. Thus, Rick is 22 years older than Carl. TV!Carl also has an exact age, 12, at the start of the show, so TV!Rick is possibly 34. The TV show aged not only Carl 5 years, but also Maggie, so this justified me aging Beth 5 years (yeah, yeah. She doesn't exist in the comics. I know). So, in this story the age difference between Rick and Beth is only 13 years.

A second note, this time on OCs. I'm not a fan of original characters (Mary Sues/Gary Stus) so suddenly a lot of people from the Walking Dead now live in King County with the Grimes family. Also, Beth's roommates are the comic's Greene sisters, except I aged them up. A lot. Because this is fanfiction.

Now, enjoy my attempts to flood the community with Rick/Beth!

**Warnings:** None yet. Stay tuned.

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

It was Beth's third night as a waitress at the Steak Out Saloon when she first met Rick Grimes.

Beth Greene had thought she would become the next Jewel or Taylor Swift and now she was on the mend after her music career self-destructed in Atlanta. She had left Atlanta for the small town Harrison in King County because her cousin, Lacey, knew how much Beth didn't want to return to her parent's house so she let Beth move in. Lacey fancied herself an artist and her daddy was just as strict and judgmental as Beth's own. Beth had wallowed in her new place for a week straight before her roommate Rachel got Beth an interview at the bar she worked at, Steak Out. Beth had been a cocktail waitress at a few different places in the city for extra cash between the few paying singing gigs she managed to book.

Beth liked the hometown feel of Steak Out, it was modeled after an old saloon and the bar, tables, stools and floor were all a dark wood with quirky old west paraphernalia on the walls but it also had a couple of flat screen TVs showing whatever game was on. It was located a block from the King County Courthouse, so the clientele wasn't too rough and the lunch crowd was usually clerks or lawyers getting a sandwich. Plus they served the best fries Beth had ever tasted. And the owner, Dale Horvath, had agreed to let her sing a couple of nights a week when there wasn't a big game.

Her new life in Harrison was a welcome respite from the craziness of Atlanta and would suit her needs while she tried to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life now that her music career wasn't panning out the way she thought it would.

It was a Tuesday night and there were only a few customers, two full booths and a lone man sitting at the bar. Amy, the pretty blonde bartender who loved good gossip, was chatting with the lone man and waved Beth over after she served a round of burgers to one of the tables. "Rick, this is our new girl, Beth Greene. Beth, this is Rick Grimes, he's one of our regulars."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Rick nodded. He wore the uniform of the sheriff's department, his hat was next to him on the bar, and he had some of the bluest eyes Beth had ever seen.

"You too officer," Beth smiled back.

"Please, call me Rick," he smiled.

"Only if you call me Beth. I'm too young to be a ma'am," Beth countered with a friendly smile.

"All right, _Miss_ Beth," he nodded. Beth smiled again, she liked his smile and how courteous he was.

A little while later Beth noticed Rick's food order come up in the window but Amy was flirting with two men at the other end of the bar who came in a few moments ago so Beth delivered his burger and fries. "I have to say, the fries here are the best I've ever had," she commented as she set the basket in front of him.

Rick nodded, "Agreed. So did you just move to town?"

"Yup, from Atlanta."

"Didn't like the city life?"

Beth frowned, "it wasn't for me. But I didn't want to move home, I'm not ready to admit defeat yet to my daddy. He wasn't thrilled when I left the family farm to chase a singing career."

"You sing?" Rick looked impressed.

Beth nodded, "Yup. Dale's going to let me sing a couple nights a week."

"That'll be nice. When do you start?"

"Thursday will be my first night."

"Well, I won't miss it then," Rick gave her another friendly smile.

Beth couldn't help but smile in response. She liked the idea of the handsome officer watching her sing. She did wonder why he was alone though, he was attractive and nice, so why was he alone at a bar on a Tuesday night? Later that night Beth asked Amy, after Rick had left.

Amy had grown up in town and she knew a story about everybody. She was in her mid-twenties and with her pretty looks and warm smile most anyone was willing to spill gossip for her. "Oh poor Rick, he's such a sweetheart, he just went through an ugly, long divorce. And now he's got a son in middle school that he doesn't get to see much anymore. Poor guy. Now all he does is work, work, work. He eats dinner here most nights if he's not working a late shift. He joked once that his wife got King County Café in the divorce."

There was something about Rick that caught Beth's attention. She didn't know if it was his clear blue eyes, his honest smile, or his heartstring tugging past but Beth found herself unable to stop wondering about him. She found herself, oddly, hoping that he would keep his word. She wanted to meet him again. She wanted to know him.

* * *

Rick didn't lie, he was again at the bar Thursday night eating dinner again when Beth took the stage with her acoustic guitar. It was hardly a stage, more of a platform, but it had a mike stand and a stool and Beth sang four original songs and four covers while playing the guitar. The songs that she wrote herself were about young love and being heartbreakingly naïve and the covers were singles of popular country divas. The crowd seemed to enjoy it and she got cheers and loud applause when she finished her set.

Rick was sitting next to Dale at the bar as she went over to thank Dale again for letting her sing.

"You've got a real nice voice, Beth," Rick complimented and Beth blushed happily.

"He's right, and the crowd loved you, just like I knew they would." Dale gave her a proud papa bear look, which suited his Santa Claus-like features.

"Thank you again for letting me sing, Dale."

After that Beth saw a lot of Rick, which she didn't mind one bit.

Beth had only had two serious relationships before. Jimmy was her high school sweetheart and a year ahead of her in school, Zach had been her adventurous Atlanta boyfriend and only two years older than her. And then there was her producer in Atlanta, but he shouldn't count. She'd never really been attracted to older men before but there was something that about Rick that sparked something inside of her. She liked it when he smiled, his eyes would crinkle and he'd show off his white teeth and her heart would skip a beat in response. She liked his scruffy beard he was working on growing, apparently his ex-wife never let him grow out his facial hair before so he was going all out now that he was a 'free man'. She liked listening to his voice when he told stories about something ridiculous his son did, apparently if Carl Grimes was left unsupervised for a minute he could get himself into all sorts of trouble.

And then Rick became her hero.

It was a Monday night in late June and the weather was starting to get really hot and humid. Beth had worn a pair of daisy duke jean shorts and a loose, flowy tank top which was more skin than she normally showed at work. Her tips reflected her patrons' appreciation but one, Ed Peletier, got a bit handsy. Ed was on his fourth Jack and coke, he was with a buddy, both had made lewd comments that she ignored but then Ed reached out and grabbed her thigh right below where her shorts ended and she froze. Atlanta came rushing back to her, her producer's smug smile and cigarette smelling breath. But then Ed's hand was forcefully removed for her. She didn't even know Rick was in the bar, he must have just come in. He pulled Ed out of his chair by his shirt collar and had a fierce, angry expression on his face. "What are you doing, Ed?" His voice was calm not belaying the anger on his face.

"C'mon Grimes, I was just jokin' with Beth."

"I didn't think it was funny, and I don't see Beth laughing neither."

"It was just a joke. I won't do it again." Ed was nervous, sweaty and gross.

"I think that's best. Or else I'll take you down to the jail and you can tell your jokes there, you get me?" Rick finally let go of Ed's collar and his hands landed on his hips as he glared at Ed.

Ed nodded, according to Amy's gossip, Ed couldn't get arrested one more time or else he'd be doing 'real' time, so he finished his drink and Amy rushed over to bring his tab. Beth just stared in awe at Rick, her serving tray clutched to her chest like a shield.

Rick placed a hand on her shoulder and led her to the end of the bar where the door to the kitchen was. "You alright?"

Beth nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine, but thank you."

"You sure? You didn't look fine when he touched you," Rick's gaze was serious and studying her intently and Beth felt herself becoming steady and calm under his intense scrutiny.

Beth nodded again, her expression becoming more determined, "I was startled is all." And then Amy was at her side fussing over her and cursing Ed. Rick nodded and backed away to take a seat at the bar and he watched Ed slowly leave.

* * *

She told her sister Maggie about her crush one day while they were catching up on the phone. Maggie was living in Macon, 'living in sin' (as her daddy called it) with her boyfriend Glenn. "Have you ever been attracted to an older man? Like, a much older man?" She asked boldly.

"What, like Brad Pitt or Hugh Jackman?"

"No like someone real, someone you know."

"Well there was a professor I had that was pretty cute… what's going on? You like someone?" Maggie's voice was excited. Beth hadn't mentioned any boys since she and Zach broke up, and that was months ago.

"His name is Rick Grimes, he's a deputy sheriff, and he's nice, he likes my singing, he's ruggedly handsome… he's thirty-four."

"Beth! mid-thirties? You're only twenty-one!" Maggie scolded.

"Don't worry, I don't think he likes me, not like that. I think he's just being polite when we flirt."

"Beth, please be careful. Older guys tend to have… certain expectations."

Beth rolled her eyes, "Mags, I think all guys have certain expectations." Beth almost let it slip that she wasn't some doe-eyed virgin, but then Maggie would freak out on her and ask when she lost her virginity and Beth did not want to go into that story. So she told her sister she'd be careful.

* * *

Beth mooned over Rick for what seemed like ages not knowing if Rick felt anything for her. He was just so _nice_; he liked to ask about her songwriting and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. He had questioned her about Atlanta a few times, he said he was shocked that Beth hadn't become a star, so Beth did give him an abridged version of her story, "I did actually have a deal with a producer and record company in Atlanta, but they wanted me to be somebody else. I didn't like what they wanted me to be so I left. I wanna sing and be me, not a sluttier version of me."

Rick looked stern for a moment, like he wanted to say something in her defense but shook his head. "Well, their loss then."

Then one night he came in with Shane, his best friend and partner. Beth didn't like Shane much, he was loud and crude and made lecherous jokes at her whenever Rick wasn't within earshot. But then Shane said, after his third beer, "Rick, when you gonna stop moping and tap the pretty blonde?"

Beth was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to hear that, she was behind Shane, out of his eye sight, wiping down a table and she looked up to see Rick immediately blush, something Beth had never seen before. Beth wasn't sure who Shane meant, she and Amy both were blondes but then Rick glanced in her direction and as soon as their eyes connected Beth knew she was the pretty blonde.

It took Beth an hour to find the confidence to approach Rick. Shane was flirting with a redhead a few spots down and Rick was alone. Beth slid into the stool next to Rick, the bar wasn't full and she knew Amy wouldn't care if she sat for a moment, especially if she came away with good gossip.

"Rick… do you want to go out to dinner sometime? With me?" She asked nervously.

Rick nearly choked on his beer. "Beth? Are you serious?"

Beth rolled her eyes, "Of course I'm serious."

Rick looked confused, like he couldn't understand why Beth would want him, which boggled Beth's mind. Who wouldn't want him? "Beth… you know I'm thirty-four," Rick began slowly.

"Yes," Beth nodded.

"And I just went through an ugly divorce."

"Yup."

"And that I have a twelve year old son."

"None of this is news."

"I work 60 hours a week."

"I know, I serve you dinner whenever you aren't working a late shift."

"Okay…_that_ is my best friend." Rick gestured down the bar at Shane, who was taking a body shot off of the drunk redhead's neck.

Beth giggled at Rick's disgusted expression. "Still nothing I didn't already know."

"He's been my best friend since the seventh grade," Shane was now making out with the body shot girl, he came away with the lime in his mouth and when he saw Rick looking his way he gave a thumbs up sign.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you haven't scared me off yet." Rick shook his head at her words but he had a small smile on his face. "What about instead of going out for dinner I cook you dinner?" Beth tried again.

"Cook?"

"But we'd have to do it at your place, I live with three other girls."

"You can cook?" Rick looked hopeful and Beth knew exactly what to say next.

"Of course I can cook. My momma taught me as soon as I was tall enough to see over the counters. I even know the Greene family secret fried chicken recipe." Beth knew that was the right dish to mention. She didn't know a single man in the state of Georgia that would turn down home cooked fried chicken. Rick's expression let Beth know she'd won.

"And biscuits?"

"Of course. And… green beans?"

"Sounds tasty… Beth I don't know why you would want an old man like me when you could have any boy your own age in here."

Rick's gaze held on to Beth, made her feel like it was just the two of them in the entire bar. Beth held Rick's gaze, trying to convey how serious she was before responding, "Rick I've dated plenty of boys my own age, and that's the problem, boys. I want a man. I want you."

* * *

So I have an endgame for this story, but I'm not sure how I'm going to get there... so I hope you all enjoy the ride! Stay tuned for Rick and Beth's first date.

Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Rick and Beth's first date! Read on fair readers!

**Warnings:** mentions of shady a sexual situation, almost non-shady sexual situation.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

* * *

"Rick… I thought you were joking!" Beth called over her shoulder as she opened all of Rick's cupboards in his tiny kitchen. He had four dinner plates, four salad plates, four cereal bowls, four coffee mugs and assorted glasses, plus one stock pot and one sauce pan. In the flatware drawer she found four place settings worth of flatware, a couple of steak knives, a pizza cutter and a pasta rake. That was it. "How long have you been here?"

"Five or six months I think," Rick responded coming in to the kitchen. "I stayed with Shane for a few months until I found this place." It was three days after Rick had agreed to dinner with her and it was the first night that neither of them had to work. Beth had the day off while Rick had gotten off around five. Beth had come over at five thirty to see what supplies they need to purchase for her to make chicken, biscuits and green beans.

"Wow, I thought you were joking when you said you can't cook. What do you feed Carl when you have him?" Beth marveled.

Rick shrugged, "Pizza. Pasta. I grill burgers and steaks occasionally. And, I make the best waffles you've ever had."

Beth did see the waffle iron, it was the only small appliance he had besides a microwave. "Well, I thought you were joking when you said you didn't have anything to cook with so we'd have to go shopping… you don't even own a frying pan!"

Rick smiled sheepishly. "We need to run to Walmart?"

"Rick, you're in your thirties. We're going to Bed, Bath and Beyond. You're lucky one of my roommates is a coupon hoarder and let me take some coupons just in case. Let's go." Rick had warned her that he would have an understocked kitchen but she'd seen college kids that only eat ramen with better equipped kitchens.

The closest Bed, Bath and Beyond was twenty minutes away just over in Linden County. Beth had a lot of fun shopping for Rick, he really was clueless and she enjoyed how domestic the situation was. She felt giddiness creeping up on her over how much she enjoyed picking out patterns and colors with Rick. It helped that Rick always deferred to her. "Rick, this is going to be your stuff, you have to pick," she said as she waved three different kitchen towels at him.

"The blue one?"

"Rick, they're all blue, this is cobalt, sky and sea foam." Rick looked at her blankly as she held out each one as she named the color. "Cobalt it is," she said after a moment of him staring cheerfully grabbed matching mitts and cloth trivets.

All in all they spent an hour in the store, Beth convinced him that the hundreds he was spending would really save him money on eating out in the long run (provided he learned to cook something, or perhaps Beth could just cook for him?). They left the store with an entire kitchen, practically, and Rick commented that it was a good thing he had a truck.

Things did get a bit awkward at the grocery store. They went to the market closest to Rick's apartment and of course they ran into people they both knew. Usually a smile and quick hello would suffice but then they ran into Diane.

"Why I should've known that you would leave work on time for a pretty girl," she said by way of greeting them.

"Diane, this is Beth, Beth this is Diane, she works dispatch at the station."

"It's nice to meet you, Diane" Beth shook her hand.

"Well, aren't you just lovely!" Diane looked to be in her thirties, she had brown hair pulled back stylishly and a kind face. "You know, Rick hasn't left on time for ages, well before his reinstated bachelorhood, and today he left at 4:59 and when Shane said it was for a hot date we all thought he was jokin'. But look at you!" Diane beamed. "Rick, this girl is adorable, why aren't you taking her out for a nice dinner at Valentino's?" Valentino's was the 'classiest' restaurant in Harrison, an Italian joint that Beth hadn't been to yet.

"Well, Rick eats out all the time so I thought it would be nice to eat a home cooked meal," Beth responded for Rick, who gave her a grateful smile.

"Oh! Rick, you hold on to this one!" Diane gushed and patted Beth's arm before leaving them be.

"I'm afraid the whole town is going to know about us by tomorrow," Rick looked apologetic.

Beth shrugged, she grew up in a similar small town and was used to everyone knowing everybody else's business. "Rick, I ask you out, of course I'm fine with it. Are you fine with this?"

Rick's look turned serious and he faced her full on, "Beth, I'm the luckiest man in King County right now. I still can't believe _you_ want to be out with me." Beth felt her face heat up and a huge grin split her face. There was certainly something to be said for dating a gentleman like Rick.

* * *

Even though Beth was twenty-one years old she wasn't a drinker. Back in Atlanta when she turned twenty-one she only ever drank champagne or wine, usually with producers or managers of the music industry at parties, and hadn't enjoyed the taste. Her father used to be an alcoholic back before she could remember so she grew up in a dry house that had a very negative view on alcohol consumption of any sort. Even now that she worked in a bar she still didn't indulge, she had sipped a few beers and did not understand the appeal, she had also sipped a few of Amy's cocktails but they were too strong and tasted like fruity cleaning fluid. So when Rick pulled out two bottles of grape and honey mead and assured her she would love it, she was doubtful. She then drank an entire bottle.

Rick poured her a glass while she was cooking, she wouldn't let him help her cook mostly because she was afraid he would somehow turn it into a disaster. His most arduous chore was washing the fresh green beans. He poured her a glass of mead and opened a beer for himself and mostly watched her work and asked questions. She didn't try the mead until she was almost done with the cooking, she had just put the biscuits in the oven and hopped up on the counter next to Rick. He handed her the wineglass and she took a polite sip. "Oh!" she exclaimed and took a longer sip.

Rick smiled triumphantly, "I knew you'd like it. I got a few bottles of that stuff as a gift several years ago and Lori hated it, said it was too sweet. She prefers red wines."

So when they sat down for dinner, Rick devoured Grammy Greene's fried chicken and Beth devoured the mead.

"I think I may have created a monster," Rick mused as he washed the dishes after Rick had eaten almost an entire chicken, two flakey biscuits and a large helping of green beans baked in cream of mushroom soup and cheese. Beth was perched on the counter next to the sink supervising Rick and pouring herself a fourth glass.

"Mmmmhmm." She replied with a saucy wink and Rick shook his head with a smile. Beth had used champagne as liquid courage before, she downed three flutes before her hands stopped shaking back in Atlanta, but what she felt now was a lazy confidence. She felt completely at ease with Rick, no nerves needed to be calmed. As Rick loaded the last pot into the drying rack Beth tugged on his arm and pulled him in between her knees and into their first kiss.

It started as a gentle press of lips that Rick quickly deepened as he tasted the mead on her lips. "Tastes much better on you than from a glass," he murmured against her lips. His voice was already low and husky and Beth felt a pleasant tingle build at the sound of it. She smiled in response and Rick leaned back in for more. His tongue lightly swiped at her bottom lip before drawing it into his mouth. Beth gasped and Rick's tongue slid past her parted lips. Beth's arms quickly wrapped around Rick, one hand landed in his curls and tugged him closer. She kissed him like she had been doing so for years, it just felt so natural. Rick's hands landed on her thighs right on the hemline of her dress and Beth gasped at the sensation of his warm, firm hands through the thin cotton. Beth kissed Rick for what felt like hours, long, languid kisses with tongues sliding against each other sent tingles all the way to her toes.

Rick was the first to pull back, he braced himself against the counter and took several deep breaths. Beth, not wanting the moment to stop, started planting tiny, soft kisses on Rick's earlobe and jaw. "Beth," Rick half moaned half groaned. "Beth, we have to stop."

"Stop?" Beth pulled back just enough to look into Rick's blue eyes. "Why would we stop?"

"Because I am moments away from ravishing you on my kitchen counter," Rick said with a grin.

"And that's bad?" Beth giggled.

"Beth, you're drunk. I'm not taking advantage of you like that."

"I'm not drunk!" Beth felt fully in control of herself. Perhaps her inhibitions were lowered but that was normal with liquid courage.

Rick shook his head with a small smile and took a few steps backwards. "If you can walk in a straight line to the couch this can continue."

Beth rolled her eyes, of course she could walk in a straight line! She hopped off the counter and the sudden movement made her dizzy and the room started to tilt around her. "Whoa!" She flailed for a moment before Rick's strong arms were steadying her. She leaned heavily against his blissful warmth.

"Not even a single step," Rick said with a chuckle. Rick maneuvered her to lean against the counter again before moving around to pour her a glass of gatorade which Rick insisted was the best thing to prevent a hangover. Beth was content to stare at his tanned skin and the veins in his exposed forearms as he moved about the kitchen. She took a few obligatory sips of the beverage. "It's getting late." And it was, the long shopping trip combined with the time it took to cook everything meant it was nearing eleven o'clock. "How about I tuck you into my bed and I'll crash on the couch."

Beth protested that Rick shouldn't have to sleep on his own couch as Rick led her to his bedroom. His apartment had two bedrooms, one for Rick and one for Carl and the few nights he was able to stay the night. Rick guided her into the master bedroom and over to his closet so Beth could choose a shirt to sleep in and not sleep in her sundress. She chose a soft flannel shirt and Rick turned around while she shimmied out of her blue and yellow sundress and slipped on his shirt. Beth breathed in the smell of the shirt around her, it smelled like Rick. She turned to study Rick's bedroom, it was sparse like the rest of his house, he had a dresser with a mirror on top, a nightstand with a lamp and his queen size bed and that was it. No artwork on the bare, white walls. Rick glanced over his shoulder and seeing her dressed he turned around to face her.

"Rick, we can share the bed. There's plenty of room. I've shared twin beds with people before." Beth said as she gestured at Rick's bed.

Rick shook his head, "room isn't what I'm worried about."

Beth gave Rick a coy smile and tugged him into another kiss. "Just stay with me for a while, okay?" She asked as she pulled back from the kiss. She widened her eyes purposely and bit on her bottom lip and Rick quickly gave in. He took off his jeans and the nice button down shirt leaving him in boxers and a white t-shirt while Beth made herself comfy on his bed. As soon as she was horizontal she felt a sleepiness overcome her fueled by her alcohol intake. Rick pulled the blankets around Beth and laid down next to her over the bedding. Beth immediately snuggled into Rick's chest and Rick's arms wrapped around her.

They laid in a comfortable silence and after a while Rick reached over and turned the lamp off. Beth felt the warm, pleasant haze of alcohol circling her system and felt it loosen her lips. "Rick?" She asked quietly.

"Hm?" Rick responded. His eyes were closed and his breathing even but the hand around her waist tightened its grip to show he was listening. "Can I tell you something? Something I haven't told anyone else?"

Rick cracked an eye open to study her, "I don't know, Beth, you don't have to say anything you don't want to."

"I know, this is… I've never told anyone why I left Atlanta. The real reason why."

Rick shifted and soon he was on his side, his nose only inches from hers. His expression was serious. "Beth?"

"I told you I left because I didn't want to become what my manager and producers wanted me to be… but I did. I tried, anyway." Beth saw Rick's frown deepen, but she didn't stop, "Getting a record made, getting signed to a label, it's all about connections and schmoozing. How talented you are doesn't really matter. And after three years of being constantly rejected I… I finally took my manager up on an offer. There was a producer of a label that was willing to sign me, but he wanted… he wouldn't sign me unless I did something for him in return. So… I did. I slept with him. And it worked. He signed me, my manager got us a good contract, and there I was, in the recording studio and … and everyone was _looking_ at me. I could tell that they all knew what I had done. I could feel their stares and what they were all thinking, another sellout, another pretty face selling her soul for… for what? And I couldn't do it. I broke down in the middle of a song and I just ran. My manager screamed at me, but I just couldn't do it. I finally got what I wanted but I felt like I betrayed myself. So I left.

"I couldn't face my daddy, he said the music business would ruin me and he was right, so I called my cousin Lacey and she let me move in with her and her cousins. She assumed that I had given up on my career and that I never got an album deal so I never corrected her or anyone else. And I didn't tell my family the truth either." Beth had kept her gaze steady on Rick's chest while she told her tale, she didn't want to see the revulsion in his eyes, the judgment on what she sold herself for.

She didn't look up until Rick suddenly pulled her into his chest in a tight embrace. "Beth… God. Beth. I'm sorry. What can I do?"

Sorry? Beth pulled back enough to look up at Rick's face, he looked torn between angry and sad, there was no disgust at all. "You don't… you're not disgusted?"

"Disgusted? No! Beth…" Rick trailed off. "I want to go to Atlanta, find this producer, and punch him in the face. How could they use you like that?"

"No one made me do anything, I resisted for three years before I finally decided it wasn't worth it. I just wanted to be famous. I tried to convince myself that it was just sex and it didn't have to mean anything. But then… it did. I felt… dirty."

Rick's face was so sincere as he responded, "Beth, you are amazing, you're strong, you've got this huge heart, and you're beautiful… I can see that you're hurting. What can I do?"

Beth smiled up at him, he wasn't pushing her away and he wasn't disappointed in her actions. There were days when Beth didn't even want to look at herself in the mirror but here Rick was telling her she was beautiful. "Well, don't do anything that'll get you arrested." She smiled lightly.

"I'm a cop, I'm sure I can come up with a good excuse." He responded with a slight smirk.

Beth felt so much lighter after her confession and Rick's acceptance. She had been carrying around her burden for so long and had been so ashamed of herself. "What I want is … this. You and me. I… I really like you Rick." Beth said shyly.

Rick drew her into another kiss, it was long and slow, before responding, "You've got me. For as long as you want me, you have me."

* * *

Beth woke up slowly. She was warm and cozy and felt a warm body at her back. Rick. They shifted sometime in the night, Rick was now spooning her from behind and had an arm securely wrapped around her waist, he was also under the sheets with her. He was fast asleep and breathing deeply behind her. She was still drowsy as she shifted further back into Rick's warmth and then she felt _it_. Her mind cleared suddenly as she realized exactly what she backed into. Rick's morning wood. She blushed a bright red as Rick moaned softly and subconsciously rolled his hips into hers, his erection nestling in between her cheeks. A thrill of excitement rose through Beth and she slowly rolled her hips back into Rick, consciously this time. Rick's hand shifted from her waist to grip her hip and his lips pressed a light kiss into her shoulder.

"Morning," Rick's voice was low and rough with sleep and rumbled into her ear. She had never been aroused by a voice before Rick's and it sent a pleasant tingle to her core.

"Morning," she greeted breathlessly. And then Rick was turning her onto her back and his mouth was on hers. It should have been an awful kiss, they both had morning breath and Beth had the cottony, dry mouth one gets after drinking too much, but Rick's tongue was twining around hers slowly and it felt so good. Rick pulled back pressing his forehead into hers and took a deep breath and Beth shifted just enough so that Rick was now cradled in between her thighs. If Rick wanted her, she was ready. She had told him the story of her sullied past and he still accepted her, _wanted_ her. Rick studied her intently, taking in her rumpled hair, flushed face, his shirt loose on her and her bra peeking out as some of the buttons had come undone. He must have liked what he saw because his grip on her hips tightened and then he was devouring her. This kiss was animalistic, it wasn't the deep, slow kisses they had shared last night and Beth's core tingled in anticipation.

But then Rick was pulling away fumbling for his vibrating phone on the nightstand and growling, "If this isn't an emergency…" his threat trailed off as he studied the caller ID with a frown. "Hello?"

Beth could hear a woman's voice clearly through the phone, "Hey, I'm pulling up to your complex."

Rick face clouded over as he said, "Why?"

"I have a fundraiser at the hospital this morning and since it's your day off I thought you'd want to spend some time with Carl."

Beth froze. Lori. Rick was out of bed in an instant and he was stumbling into his jeans as he replied, "this isn't one of my days with Carl." He was now too far away for Beth to hear Lori but Rick let out a terse, "okay," and hung up the phone. "Shit." He cursed.

Beth sat up to lean against the headboard, all her previous arousal was gone. Rick turned to face her and was running his hands through his hair. "Lori is dropping off Carl, I'm sorry, this is certainly not how I thought you'd meet them." Beth's heart skipped a beat. So, that meant Rick had thought that one day they would all meet? They hadn't had a chance to talk about what exactly their relationship was yet and now they were being ambushed.

And then a knock echoed through the apartment.

* * *

Review please! :3


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** New chapter! Enjoy!

**Warnings:** Not much to warn in this chapter... Lori is present. As well as Carl.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Beth pressed her ear against the bedroom door in an attempt to hear what was happening just a few feet away in Rick's living room. She had a morbid curiosity about Lori. Rick only had two pictures in his apartment that Beth had seen last night, one of him and Shane and a couple of other cops in their uniforms and one of him standing with his son Carl on a fishing trip. She was curious to meet the woman that didn't want Rick. Sure, she'd heard plenty of gossip about her as Amy knew everybody's business, but Rick didn't like to even mention her.

Beth could hear Lori's voice clearly through the door, "First you complain that you don't get enough visitation, and now you're complaining about seeing your son?"

"I'm not complaining Lori, I'm just confused is all. We normally follow the custody agreement to the letter." Rick's voice was calm.

"Look, I have to run over to Harrison Memorial Hospital for a few hours for a charity fundraiser and I thought you might want some time to spend with Carl since you have the day off, I could have just left him at home playing videogames."

"Look, I'm grateful—"

"Shane said you were going on a date last night, did you bring this girl home? Is that why you're acting so … weird?"

Beth felt her heart skip a beat. Why was Rick's best friend telling Rick's ex-wife about Rick dating? She hurried to finish dressing and fix her hair into something decent.

"Is that the kind of example you should be setting for your son?" She heard Lori's voice get louder, Rick must have answered affirmatively.

Beth took a deep breath and looked at herself one last time in the mirror above Rick's dresser. Her hair looked okay back in its ponytail and her dress wasn't too rumpled. This had to be the worst way to meet your boyfriend's ex-wife. Wow, Beth from a few months ago would have never have expected to think that sentence. She squared her shoulders and took one last deep breath before opening the bedroom door.

"—wasn't how I intended for you or Carl to meet her, but you are the one who showed up here last minute." Rick was saying in a low stern voice.

Her movement caught both Rick and Lori's eye and they both turned to face her. "Um, hi." She greeted them in the tension-filled silence. "I'm Beth."

Lori was a striking beauty, she had high, sharp cheekbones, was thin and tall, much taller than Beth. Her brown hair was long and styled into a loose wave that fell around her face and shoulders. Her eyes were brown as well. She was wearing tall heels and a dark blue, slim fitting business dress. She was very intimidating especially with the glare she was leveling at Beth.

"Beth, this is Lori, my ex-wife, and Carl, my son." Carl was slouched against the wall and was glaring sullenly at his parents. He had his mom's russet brown hair but his dad's blue eyes.

Beth held out her hand to shake but Lori just continued to glared at her before turning back to Rick. She hissed, "Is she even legal? She looks sixteen."

Beth blushed a bright red but didn't say anything. Correcting Lori to her real age of twenty-one probably wouldn't help. Also, Beth was terrible with confrontations, even if she wasn't the one being confronted. When she was a child she used to cry when her brother, Shawn, and sister, Maggie, fought even if Beth had nothing to do with the fight.

"C'mon Lori, be civil. Please." Rick's tone was still calm but had an edge to it.

"I'm not leaving Carl here with you and her, with your deviant ways, corrupting _our_ son—"

"Mom," Carl interrupted Lori by rolling his eyes and huffed, "I'm twelve, I'm not some dumb kid, I'll be fine and you're going to be late."

Lori hesitated and glanced at her wristwatch and then looked between her son and ex-husband with a sour expression before growling, "fine. But Rick, we _will _continue this discussion later."

"Wonderful," Rick shot back. Lori glared one last time before turning on her heel and marching out.

Beth fidgeted awkwardly as the room fell into silence after the door slammed shut. Carl perked up a bit now that his mom left but he was eyeing Beth skeptically. Rick was glaring at the closed door with his arms crossed over his chest.

Carl was the first to break the silence, "Hey dad, can you make waffles?"

"You haven't eaten yet?" Rick asked surprised and finally turned to face his son.

Carl shook his head, "No, when Mom suggested dropping me off here I told her I'd just eat with you."

"Well I better head out then." Beth interrupted with a hesitant smile and started to leave the room to grab her purse but Carl's voice stopped her, "Have you ever had my dad's waffles?"

"Um, no," Beth answered truthfully.

"Well you have to stay then," Carl nodded resolutely.

Beth was shocked. She looked over at Rick, who shrugged, he was just as clueless to his son's behavior as she was. "Okay," Beth replied slowly.

Carl nodded and walked passed her to plop down on the couch and turn on the TV. "Do you want any help?" Beth asked and turned back to Rick.

Rick shook his head, "I gotta prove to you I'm not as incompetent as you think I am in the kitchen." Rick grinned and Beth rolled her eyes at him but smiled as well. Rick then retreated into the kitchen.

Beth turned to face Carl, the apartment had an open floor plan so the dining room and living room were all one big area that the kitchen looked out over. Beth slowly approached the couch and sat on the opposite end of Carl. He was flipping through the channels idly but spoke as she sat. He didn't turn to face her or anything and Beth had a feeling she was in for an interrogation. "So, you're dating my dad?"

"Um, yes," Beth nodded. One date counted as dating, right?

"You're not sixteen, right?"

Beth let out a small, uncomfortable laugh. "No, I'm twenty-one."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a waitress at Steak Out."

"Is that where you met my dad?"

"Yes."

"You didn't grow up here, right?"

"No I moved to Harrison just a few months ago from Atlanta. My cousin's cousins grew up here though."

"Cousin's cousins?"

"Yup. My cousin Lacey is my dad's brother's daughter, and her mom's sister's daughters are my cousin's cousins. Rachel and Susie, Lacey and I are living with them."

"Okay."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence for several minutes as Carl landed on Cartoon Network. Beth was determined to use this unexpected meeting to get Carl to like her. "So… do you play any sports? Instruments?" Beth started the conversation back up on a commercial break of whatever weird animated show they were watching, when she was growing up her family never had cable.

Carl shrugged, "yeah, mom has me signed up for every sport to keep me 'occupied'." Carl used air quotes around occupied. Beth wasn't aware that air quotes were still a thing, or that a kid his age would know how to use them. Either way, Carl didn't seem too thrilled about his forced activities.

"Oh... You start seventh grade in the fall, are you excited?"

Carl shrugged in response. Beth worried her lower lip with her teeth nervously. This was going well, right? "What about you?" Carl asked.

"What about me what?" Beth asked.

"Do you play any sports?"

"Oh no, I have terrible hand eye coordination. I stayed away from sports as much as possible, I even used to ditch gym and hide in the music room in high school." Beth said with a smile.

"The music room?" Carl asked like that was the most boring place in the world.

"Yup. I would play the piano or guitar."

"You can play the guitar?" Carl's voice finally held some interest in it.

"Yeah, I sing too, and write my own music."

"Could you teach me sometime?"

"To play the guitar?"

Carl nodded. He was finally looking over at her and had a smile on his face. Beth wondered if there was a certain girl he wanted to impress. He had his dad's bright blue eyes and he would probably grow up to look just as good as Rick. Or perhaps he just wanted to learn guitar to be 'cool'. Either way, Beth wanted this kid to like her and this seemed like her ticket in. "Sure," she nodded. "As long as it's okay with your dad." Beth then wondered how Lori would react. Probably not well. "Hey Rick?" Beth raised her voice and turned towards the kitchen, but then she was distracted. "What are you microwaving?"

Rick glanced at her briefly from over the counter. It looked like he was pouring batter onto the waffle iron but the microwave was running as well. "Bacon," he answered.

"What?" Beth stood indignantly. "You can't microwave bacon!"

"How else would you cook it?" Carl asked curiously.

"Uh, a griddle on the stove normally or, even better, in the oven." Beth was marching towards Rick.

"Mom always microwaves it." Carl said as he followed her into the kitchen.

Rick turned to look at her. "Bacon in the oven?"

Beth nodded, "It takes the longest amount of time but it's the best. My momma uses a cookie rack and places it in a cookie sheet so the bacon doesn't sit in the grease."

"Well, you're about to have the Grimes Family Microwaved Bacon Specialty." Rick told her with a wink.

Beth huffed but smiled back, "Well, next time I'll have to make you boys the Greene Family Better Bacon Specialty."

"I like bacon." Carl nodded. He didn't seem angry that Beth could be around in the future. Beth smiled in triumph.

* * *

"I want every detail, every moment, give me the blow-by-blow details," Amy squealed the second she saw Beth walk in for the dinner shift later that day. Rachel, her roommate and co-worker, rushed over as soon as she spotted Beth and perched on a stool across from Amy's position behind the bar.

Beth laughed and took a moment to punch in and tie on her apron. "Well, I met Lori and Carl this morning."

"Oh. My. God. How? That sounds awful. Was it awful? How could Rick let that happen?" Rachel gasped.

"Well, I spent the night—"

"Beth you tease! You slept with Rick?" Amy's grin nearly split her face.

Beth blushed, "No, I just drank too much and Rick, the cop, didn't want me to drive back to my place. We only slept. And then Lori stopped by unexpectedly this morning to drop Carl off for a surprise visit."

"Oh there are so many details I want to know!" Amy wailed.

"What's all this squealin' out here?" Dale asked as he walked out from the swinging kitchen door. He was clad in his typical Hawaiian shirt and floppy fishing hat.

"Beth had her date with Rick last night—"

"Yes, so you've told everyone." Dale nodded and Beth shot Amy a playful glare.

"She spent the night with him AND met Lori and Carl this morning." Rachel gleefully shared.

"Oh, well now _I_ want all the details." Dale also took a seat at the bar and now he, Rachel and Amy were all looking at her expectantly.

"There was no sex!" Beth exclaimed again.

"And why not? Rick's a total hottie for an old guy." Rachel pouted as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Her long, dark brown hair was held back in a bun with two pens.

"Yeesh, you think Rick's an old guy? What does that make me?" Dale was both indignant and jovial at once.

"Grandpa old. Now quiet down, Beth is about to tell us why she didn't have sex with Rick!" Amy turned her expectant smile on to Beth.

"It was only the first date!" Beth defended.

"Hardly, you two have been mooning over each other since you first met," Amy scoffed.

"Okay, fine, we totally almost had sex. Until Lori called this morning." Beth finally relented.

"Called? I thought you met her." Dale pointed out.

"Oh, I did, she called from the parking lot to tell Rick she was dropping Carl off," Beth explained.

"Oh my god, that harpy _knew_!" Rachel exclaimed.

"You know, I was wondering the same thing. She mentioned that Shane told her about our date." Beth had thought it was strange at the time but Rick hadn't seemed to pick up on it.

"Shane? Rick's best friend told Lori about Rick's date?" Amy had a puzzled expression on her face. "Doesn't that break the bro code or something?"

"I know, right? I thought that was weird too!" Beth agreed, glad she wasn't the only one to think it was odd.

"So she was totally checking in on Rick, to see how far his date went," Rachel shook her head at Lori's apparent deviousness. "Bet she felt like an idiot when she saw you."

"She accused Rick of being a child molester, said I looked like I'm sixteen," Beth blushed.

"She was jealous!" Amy laughed.

"And then she was guilt tripping Rick by saying, 'I thought you would want to see Carl since you're hardly ever do' and I wanted to be like, it's your fault he doesn't get to see his son as often as he wants!" Beth waved her arms in her exasperation.

"Wow. So did she freak out on you? Try to attack you?" Rachel asked eagerly.

Beth shook her head, "No. She left all angry. And so I was about to leave but then Carl asked me stay for breakfast."

"Rick's son wanted you to stay?" Dale asked puzzled.

"Which is also weird. It was pretty awkward at first, he did some interrogating, but he thought I was pretty cool by the end." Beth said smugly.

"Okay, so we've got the drama out of the way, I'd like to circle back to something you mentioned… you said you drank too much? You? This girl doesn't even like vodka cranberries." Amy pointed out.

"Rick pulled out a bottle of mead."

"Mead? Like what Vikings drink?" Rachel's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Mead is a surprising drink. Some meads can be very sweet," Dale advised.

"Yeah, it was amazing, Dale you should totally look into carrying it." Beth advised.

Dale's reply was interrupted by a group of six walking into the bar, Beth hustled off to take care of them while Rachel left to check on her tables and Dale headed back to his tiny office. Beth didn't tell them the best part of the date. Right before Beth left Rick's place, after breakfast and the bacon critique, he had pulled her to the side while Carl was distracted by a show on TV and asked her if she was scared off by the morning's events. Beth had said no, of course not, and Rick then promised their next date would go smoother. Beth had asked if they were officially dating and in a relationship and Rick again said that he was hers until she didn't want him anymore. Despite the awkward morning Beth couldn't keep her happy grin off her face the rest of the day. She wasn't planning on being done with Rick Grimes anytime soon.

* * *

Did Lori under-react? And why was Carl's reaction so strange? Stay tuned!

Review Please!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: ** So here's where you all get to see how AU this really is... I borrowed heavily from the comics (which I've never read but researched a lot for this story) so that's where the slight hints of Andrea/Rick and Rick's family/background originate from and then me creating CW-esque drama (Not that I watch CW dramas either *shifty eyes*)

**Warnings:** sex!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

* * *

"Ugh. My sister's in town this weekend." Amy whined as she wiped down the wooden bar top.

It was Friday afternoon, and it was hot and sticky as only July in the south can be but Beth was annoyingly cheerful, as she usually was now that she and Rick were dating. Beth and Rick had had their second date two days before. Rick had picked her up, taken her to the Italian place, Valentino's, and then dropped her off with only a goodnight kiss on her front porch. He had said that he wanted to make up for the craziness of their first date and the chaos of meeting Lori and Carl unexpectedly. And Rick was absolutely adorable trying to adhere to typical dating protocol. Tonight they were having their third date, he was taking her to a movie after her shift.

"Why the pout? I thought you adored your sister?" Beth asked confused as she turned to face Amy. Amy usually loved to brag about her big sister the hot shot civil rights attorney in Atlanta.

"I do, when we're not together. She drove in last night for our dad's birthday this weekend and every other word she says to me is 'Why are you wasting your life bartending?' or 'you could make something of yourself if you went to college', blah, blah, blah. She drives me crazy."

"Aha." Beth nodded in agreement. She occasionally got that from her sister as well, Maggie went to school and got a bachelor's degree and liked to lecture Beth and tell her singing wasn't a real career, but so did everyone else in Beth's family. Her brother was currently in veterinary school and both her father and mother had also gone to college.

"She'll be in soon, she texted to say she asked some old friends to meet her here for a few happy hour drinks," Amy sighed.

"Well, at least she won't give you a hard time if you're busy giving her drinks, right?" Beth asked optimistically. She turned back to the small dishwasher under the bar counter that she was loading glasses into.

"Yeah… She'll be too busy flirting with Shane and Rick."

"Rick? My Rick?" Beth turned to face Amy again.

"Did I never tell you?" Amy asked with a mischievous grin, "Andrea and Rick dated back in high school."

"My Rick and your sister?" Beth frowned. Rick had never mentioned any other women he'd been with besides Lori and they had been together for so long Beth never really thought about who Rick was with before Lori.

"Yup. Up until Andrea left for university and Rick stayed and took classes at the community college. Andrea always said Rick was the best guy in this town. I think she was pretty upset when she heard he was marrying Lori."

"Do… do you think she wants him back?" Beth asked with a sinking feeling gathering in her stomach. She'd never met Andrea, but she was a successful lawyer in Atlanta and if she was half as pretty as Amy… what if she wanted Rick back? How could Beth compete with that?

Amy paused in her wiping down the bar to look at Beth, "Oh honey, I'm sorry! Here I'm going on about my sister and not even thinkin'! Rick would be a fool to leave you."

"Your sister is his own age and she's got a successful career, he'd probably be a fool to stay with me." Beth moaned. Rick also knew that Beth had slept with her producer for an album deal, Andrea probably never slept with someone to get further in her career. Amy coo-ed comforting words at her but Beth wasn't listening. She was too busy focusing on the feeling of dread that was starting to build in her stomach.

Beth met Andrea a few hours later and she was just as pretty as Beth feared. Her blonde hair was curly and pulled out of her face and she was wearing a striped tee dress that tied at the waist, it was causal but looked high-end and finer than anything anyone else owned in town. She was also friendly, she gave Beth a hug after they were introduced and said that Amy had told her nice things about Beth.

Beth wanted to be petty and hate her, but instead she just felt worse, Rick would be better off with a woman like Andrea. Beth had just gotten Rick and already there were threats against their relationship. It wasn't fair. Beth had never liked a guy before as much as she liked Rick and she was afraid that she would lose him, but she was also afraid that if she clung too tightly to him that she would push him away.

Shane and Rick came in a little before six, they had both clearly gone home and changed as they were both out of uniform. Rick was wearing snug jeans and a striped, button down, brown shirt and Beth thought he looked delicious. She then wondered darkly if he was dressing up for her or Andrea.

"Andrea!" Shane exclaimed when he spotted the blonde. He had his typical playboy smirk and pulled her into a big hug. Rick nodded at Beth and she smiled back and pretended like she wasn't massively spying on them while she bussed a table.

"My boys!" Andrea laughed and when Shane released her she pulled Rick into a hug.

"Good to see you." Rick greeted as he returned the hug.

"Rick, how are you doing? We haven't seen each other since…"

"Since you looked over my divorce papers? I'm doing good." Rick nodded.

"Yeah, you look it. You get dressed up for me or do you have a hot date?" Andrea teased.

"Both." Rick responded.

Beth didn't hear Andrea's response as a few more people joined their group and Beth scurried to take care of a table that was waving for her attention and needed another round of drinks. Beth didn't want to be the kind of girl that spies on her boyfriend so she tried to not pay attention to the group with smiling Andrea in the center. She certainly didn't take a mental note any time Rick smiled or laughed. Nope. She did manage to miss Rick standing up and walking in her direction though. She had just delivered a round of drinks to a booth near the back of the restaurant when she turned and nearly ran into him. She gasped and he steadied her before she could drop her empty tray. "Rick!" She smiled in greeting.

"Hey," Rick smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to her check. Beth's heart fluttered happily and she felt a blush creeping up her face. "You still off at seven tonight?"

Beth nodded. "Are you going to stay with Andrea all night?" Beth asked nonchalantly, trying not to seem like she cared one way or the other.

Rick shook his head, "we have plans, right? Aren't I taking you to see a movie tonight?"

"I didn't know if you wanted to stay with Andrea. Amy says she doesn't come home often."

Rick shook his head, "as fun as it is to watch Shane strike out all the time with Andrea, I'd rather be with you."

Beth's smile was triumphant as she responded, "I'm off in ten."

"You want me to take you home or meet you there so you can change?"

"Take me home?" Beth wasn't about to leave Rick alone, she didn't want to take the chance that a certain someone would talk Rick into staying later.

Rick nodded again, "Alright, come and get me when you're ready to leave."

"Okay," said Beth and Rick grinned at her before turning around and heading back to the group.

The next ten minutes seemed to drag, she closed out her tables and transferred what was left to Rebecca and tried not to be too giddy that Rick was choosing her over his friends, and more importantly, over Andrea. Soon she was stashing her apron in the tiny office and Dale waved her out. Rick stood as she approached and pulled her into his side as soon as she was close enough.

"Rick, you're really leavin'?" Andrea pouted.

"C'mon Andrea, you know Rick ain't Rick unless he's pussy whipped by a girl." Shane joked.

The others in the group laughed. "Looks like he's cradle robbing this time," Andrea said slyly and Beth tried not to look offended or embarrassed.

"Yeah, yeah, both of you are just jealous." Rick responded as he rolled his eyes.

"Have a good night." Andrea stood and Rick let go of Beth to give Andrea a brief hug. Andrea shot Beth a glare over Rick's shoulder but then Rick released her and was leading Beth out the door. Beth waved at Amy as they left and Amy gave her a thumbs up and a wink. Rick led her to his truck parked on the street and opened the passenger side door for her and Beth pulled Rick into a quick but passionate kiss before climbing in.

Rick waited in his truck while Beth ran into her house to change. She didn't want to subject Rick to the mess that four girls living in a small house created, plus her shared room with Lacey was a warzone of clothes and miscellaneous items. None of her roommates were home and Beth was glad that Lacey wasn't there to tease her about the outfit she picked out. She changed into her shortest skirt, it was a washed out blue jean and ended inches below her bottom, and a blue tank top with lace trim and slid into her boots. She normally dressed more conservatively but tonight she wanted to give Rick a reward for choosing her over Andrea. She then ran a brush through her hair and touched up her makeup and stuffed a pair of clean underwear into her purse, just in case. Then she was out the door and back in Rick's truck.

"That some kinda record for a girl?" Rick joked. Beth had only been gone about four minutes.

"Do you think I need to go back and try again?" Beth teased.

Rick glanced over her outfit and Beth watched Rick's eyes darken and his voice came out lower, "Definitely not." Beth smiled in response to Rick's approval. Rick put the truck in gear and began to drive towards the King County movie theater.

"So… you said Shane is trying to sleep with Andrea," Beth began slowly.

"Yeah," Rick nodded.

"But, Amy said you and Andrea dated before she went to college. Isn't that breaking the bro code or something?" Beth congratulated herself on bringing up Andrea but managing not to sound like a jealous girlfriend.

"Well, Shane has never been one to play by the rules. But he did ask me once if I'd be mad if he slept with Andrea, smug bastard did it in front of Lori a few years back. So of course I said no, Lori and Andrea never got along."

"Did you all know each other back in high school?" Beth asked curiously. She really didn't know much about Rick's pre-Lori days.

"Lori was two years below Shane, Andrea and I. Andrea knew her but I didn't meet her until I was in the Academy and home for the weekend and Jeffrey brought her to a family barbeque."

"Wait, Jeffrey, as in your brother?" Beth frowned, Rick had only mentioned him once before, she had gathered that they were estranged. All she knew was that Jeffrey Grimes lived up in Cynthia, Kentucky.

"Yeah. They were good friends. I didn't know Jeff had a crush on Lori until I got her pregnant. It's why we don't talk anymore."

Beth's mind whirled with the influx of new information. Did Rick marry Lori because she was pregnant? That would explain why they married so young. Amy hadn't known any of this, but then again, Amy was about ten years younger than Andrea so she would have been very young when this all happened. "Was he happy when you two divorced?"

Rick snorted, "No, if anything he was more pissed than he already was."

"Well, weren't you just a regular CW drama when you were young." Beth teased lightly. Rick sleeping with his little brother's crush, getting her pregnant, she never would have guessed. It was actually kind of nice to know that Rick wasn't perfect, or at least didn't used to be. It made Beth a bit more secure in their relationship. He already knew her flaws and knowing his brought them to a more equal level in Beth's mind.

"What?" Rick laughed, "CW drama?"

"We must be in the reboot now, like 90210," Beth mused.

"Do you watch a lot of CW shows?" Rick asked amused.

"Um, no, of course not." Beth's lie was flimsy and Rick laughed again.

He grinned at her and reached over to squeeze her knee. Beth's heart rate speed up when Rick's hand stayed on her bare skin. She quickly covered his hand with her own hand and gave his a gentle squeeze. "Well, no more drama for me. I've only got eyes for you."

Beth didn't know if Rick was subtly telling her that he wasn't interested in Andrea but Beth interpreted it that way. She smiled up at him with a small, sweet smile, "Same here."

Rick didn't stop touching her once they got to the theater, as they walked he had a hand on her low back and as they stood in line his arm was around her shoulder and when they settled into their seats Rick took her hand and held it against his leg. Beth couldn't remove the large smile off her face, not even when the lights dimmed and she attempted to pay attention to the previews. Beth's skin tingled lightly where Rick's hand touched and neither of their hands moved while they shared popcorn awkwardly with their other hands.

Two hours later Beth couldn't tell really what the movie was about, even though it was one she picked. She usually loved to compare musical remakes to their original stage productions but Beth really couldn't pin down any details about what they had just seen. She was just so giddy, Rick chose her over his friends, Rick's words about only wanting her, Rick's warm touch, and Rick's intense blue eyes looking into hers was all she could think about. "So where to? Do you want to grab a bite or something?" Rick asked as they slowly walked back to his truck, his arm snug around her shoulders again.

"No… how about we go back to your place?" Beth suggested bravely. Rick nodded and opened the passenger side door for Beth to hop in. Beth noticed Rick staring at her legs again and Beth felt a wave of desire at Rick's expression.

Beth had never sought after sex before. With Jimmy she had been adamant that she was saving herself for marriage and Jimmy had respected her wishes and they broke up not long before she moved to Atlanta. With Zach it had never felt right. She had clung to her ideals in the beginning of the relationship but Zach had constantly tested her boundaries and when they had been making out and Zach's hand would creep into her clothes she never felt ready and it left her feeling anxious. She had given Zach a few hand jobs and one awful blow job but that was only to keep him from whining. It was only a few months after they broke up that Beth, feeling like her life was going nowhere, gave up her ideals as childish and slept with her producer. But now, when Rick looked at her or lightly touched her, Beth felt this anticipation she had never felt before. She _wanted_ Rick, it was scary and overwhelming but exciting all at once. Beth wanted sex.

It was a short drive from the theater to Rick's apartment and Beth was feeling a mix of excited and nervous. She knew Rick wouldn't pressure her into anything, their last heated encounter ended because he stopped her. She did have a moment of hesitation as she followed Rick into his place, but it was hesitation for fear of rejection. What if Rick didn't want to have sex with her?

Rick was standing in his kitchen offering her various beverages and listing what food he had in his fridge when Beth decided just to go for it. She interrupted him mid-sentence by pulling him down into a kiss and Rick's hands settled on her hips before pulling her further into him. Beth started the kiss but Rick quickly turned up the passion and intensity. He broke away after a few moments to place a trail of kisses along her jaw and down her neck. "God, Beth, you've been driving me crazy all night," he murmured into her soft skin. "Every time you bit your lower lip, and God, this skirt," Rick punctuated his speech by sliding his hands lower, cupping her cheeks and squeezing. Beth whimpered. Beth's skirt was too short and Rick's hands easily slid underneath to touch her and squeeze again and even though she was wearing panties his touch burned into her skin.

Beth laced one hand into Rick's curls that were just long enough to tug on, and yanked his head into an angle where she could kiss his delicious lips again. Rick's tongue delved in between her parted lips and Beth moaned at the feeling of his tongue sliding against hers. Rick's hands slid out from under her skirt and traced a pattern along her back. He stopped at the clasp of her bra and, through the material of her thin top, deftly unhooked her bra. Beth gasped and they parted for a brief moment.

"Beth… am I moving too fast?" Rick panted.

Beth frantically shook her head. This was exactly what she wanted. There was a fire racing under her skin and Beth had never before felt so alive. "Rick… I've never wanted anything more than I want you." It was blunt, honest, and Beth hoped she didn't scare Rick away with her intensity. But her words seemed to have the opposite effect. Rick stepped back, and for one heartbreaking second Beth feared that she was the one moving too fast but then he was reaching for her, he swept her up into her arms and carried her bridal style out of the kitchen.

Beth wrapped her arms around Rick's neck and nuzzled into Rick's neck and shoulder. Beth knew Rick was strong, she admired his toned arms whenever he was in short or rolled up sleeves, but she hadn't expected the ease in which he carried her through his apartment. Rick shouldered his bedroom door open and then Beth found herself being set down on Rick's bed. Rick toed off his boots and quickly shrugged out of his shirt that he then tossed onto the floor and Beth sat up to peel her tank top off. Her unclasped bra went with it and Beth meep-ed as she had already forgotten Rick had unhooked it. She self-consciously covered her chest put then Rick was kneeling next to her on the bed and gently tugging on her arms. "Beth, you're so beautiful," Rick's voice was low and sent a shiver of desire through her.

Rick pressed her back onto the bed with his hands on her shoulders. He then leaned down and boldly took her left nipple into his mouth, his tongue worshipping her dusky pink skin. Beth gasped, Rick's tongue not only felt amazing but his stubble also stimulated her sensitive skin. Rick's hands moved lower, much lower to her legs. He tugged off her boots and socks and then began tracing distracting patterns on her skin as his hands moved higher. Beth, regaining her senses a bit, reached for Rick's belt buckle and began fumbling. Rick was quickly freeing her from her clothes and she wanted to return the favor. Rick pulled back from his loving of her nipples to pull off his undershirt and help Beth undo his belt and pulled off his jeans. Beth took the opportunity to wiggle out of her skirt but she wasn't brave enough to remove her panties.

Soon Rick was hovering over her gloriously naked. Beth admired Rick's toned chest and fine chest hair, and her eyes travelled south following the trail of hair toward Rick's full and heavy cock. She felt a thrill of excitement wash over her. This was really happening. She couldn't believe how much she wanted this. She tugged Rick down so she could kiss his lips. She was tight with anticipation and the sensation of Rick's body hovering over her.

"Hold on," Rick whispered against her lips and he leaned towards his nightstand, he didn't want to stop touching Beth and left one hand just under her left breast stroking her soft skin as he yanked the drawer open on the night stand and fumbled around for a moment before pulling out a condom triumphantly. Beth laughed happily at his eager expression and tugged Rick in for more kissing. Rick dropped the condom beside her and happily obliged.

There were no tongues this time, just lips moving against each other and then Rick lightly nipped Beth's full bottom lip. Beth didn't realize his hands were once again moving south along her body until he started to tug down her panties. Beth flushed with embarrassment when she realized how wet they were. Rick's eyes darkened and he growled into her mouth at the evidence of his effect on her. Rick was then parting her folds with his questing fingers and stroking her clit. Beth arched up into Rick's touch, he felt so good, and then two fingers were circling her entrance before pushing in. Beth was tight and Rick groaned in anticipation.

"Fuck, Beth, want you so bad," He panted as he pulled away from her mouth and pressed his forehead into her shoulder. Beth nodded mindlessly and began thrusting herself onto Rick's two fingers as they stroked her inside walls. Rick quickly added a third finger and his thumb pressed into her clit and Beth shocked herself by shuddering into an orgasm.

Rick grinned victoriously down at her as her body locked around him. Her began pressing soft kissed into her hairline and withdrew his fingers from her while Beth rode out her orgasm. Beth whimpered at the feeling of loss. She wanted Rick inside her, above her, all around her. Rick reached for the condom and ripped into it. Beth watched in lazy pleasure as Rick rolled the condom onto his engorged length and then Rick's attention was turned back to her.

Beth spread her knees wide inviting Rick to settle more comfortably but he instead sat back on his knees and then tugged Beth to him leaving Beth angled to his liking. Beth's breath hitched as Rick pulled her hips towards him and then _oh so slowly_ began entering her. She threw her head back and let out a long, low moan at the sensation of Rick slowly filling her inch by glorious inch.

"Fuck, Beth, you're so tight," Rick grunted. Beth could see Rick's strain, see how he didn't want to be rough and plunge in like he wanted to. Beth's heart swelled at Rick's consideration for her. With her last (and only) sexual experience _he_ hadn't cared about Beth's obvious discomfort. Beth wrapped her legs around Rick's waist encouraging Rick to move as he wanted. Beth, lethargic and content after her orgasm, didn't feel the slightest bit of pain, only the glorious feeling of fullness. Rick took her cue and began thrusting in and out of her, slowly at first but steadily picking up his pace until the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room along with Beth's uncontrollable moans and Rick's grunts. Beth felt herself again climbing the peaks of pleasure, slower and steadier this time.

Right as she was getting close Rick stilled his movements and readjusted his, and her, position. He renewed his thrusting and Beth keened in desire as Rick's movements brought her even more delicious friction. "Rick, oh god, so close," Beth panted and Rick's movements sped up, he lost his rhythm but Beth was so close and Rick slammed into her one last time, his hand on her hip moved to where they were joined lightly pressing into Beth's clit and that was all it took for Beth to go careening off into another powerful orgasm. Her vision went white as waves of pleasure rolled over her.

She was dimly aware that Rick was coming as well, he shouted her name with his release and then collapsed over her. His weight wasn't smothering her, he held himself on his shaky arms and Beth raised her arms from where they were clenched into the bedding to Rick's shoulders and tugged Rick to fully lie on top of her to enjoy his weight on her. "That was… amazing," she told him breathlessly.

"I didn't… I didn't want us to go this fast but …I can't control myself around you," he told her quietly, his eyes searching hers.

Beth smiled up at him and placed a chaste kiss against his lips. "Don't be sorry, that was exactly what I wanted." Rick responded by gathering her into his arms for a tight hug. Beth's heart soared at the feeling of rightness of being in his arms.

Rick only stayed for a few moments before he was stumbling out of the bed and disposed of the condom. Beth didn't know how he had energy to move, she stretched languorously as she watched Rick head out to the bathroom. He returned a moment later with a damp hand towel and gently wiped her down. Beth all put purred and Rick tossed aside the towel and collapsed onto his back next to her. He quickly pulled Beth into his side and burrowed his nose into her hair. Beth sighed happily, not caring about her nudity, relishing the feel of Rick's naked flesh against her own. Beth then drifted off to sleep feeling exhausted yet safe and content curled into Rick's side.

* * *

Well... that's actually the longest sex scene I've ever written...

Review Please!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** This chapter is long, it just kept going. I actually took out a section and stuck it in chapter six. Herein we meet AU, no-zombies Maggie. Hopefully you like her. She's not as overprotective as she's usually written, but here Beth is 21 and people aren't trying to eat her face. And if you think Maggie is under-reacting, just wait until Hershel. He will not under-react.

**Warnings:** More sex, and the sensitive topic of abortion

* * *

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Rick's alarm went off early. Beth should have been used to early mornings, she grew up on a farm and growing up she had to perform chores before leaving for school in the morning. But over the last few years, between singing gigs and waitressing, she had slowly turned into a night owl. Beth groaned and rolled away from Rick's warmth as he turned off his alarm. He turned back to Beth, who had her head buried under a pillow so she was completely surprised when Rick's warm palm cupped her breast. Beth 'hmm-ed' in pleasure as Rick's attentions hardened her nipples. "Morning," she greeted sleepily.

"I have never been tempted to play hooky from work until this very moment," Rick murmured into her shoulder.

Beth rolled onto her back to look up at Rick. "Surely nothing could go wrong if Shane is left by himself?" She asked.

Rick laughed, "Shane by himself? The entire county will burn down in hours. Guess I'll have to go in." He pressed a kiss into her temple before rolling out of bed.

"Come back," Beth pouted playfully. She felt so content, so deliciously languid, like a cat in a patch of sunlight. Such a different, freeing feeling compared to her last morning after sex, with her producer. Even though she would be re-wearing yesterday's clothes on her way home she would not feel ashamed on her 'walk of shame'.

Rick turned to face her from the closet and just took a moment to look at her, Beth was still completely naked and the sheets were pushed down to her waist from Rick's ministrations. Beth blushed under Rick's intense gaze. Rick walked back and leaned over the bed and Beth happily pulled him into a kiss. "I don't know what I did to deserve you Beth," Rick said smiling as he pulled away. Beth watched Rick walk back to his closet to grab his uniform and Beth wondered what _she_ did to deserve Rick.

* * *

"That's Beth Greene!"

"Oh? That's who Lori was-"

"Yup."

Two days later Beth was in Ace Hardware with her cousin Lacey, who was looking for some bizarre art supplies for her latest creation. Beth was tagging along out of boredom, she had dinner plans that night with Rick and Carl but otherwise her day was free. Beth was looking over the peculiar assortment of hot sauces Ace carried when she heard her name being whispered behind her. She frowned as she heard her name associated with Lori's and peered over her shoulder to see who was gossiping about her. Beth was surprised to see she actually recognized one of the women, it was Diane that worked with Rick at the station standing with another woman, who looked younger than Diane but still older than Beth with light brown hair and lots of freckles.

Diane, realizing that Beth had heard her, cheerfully waved at Beth. Beth walked over feeling out of place. "Hi Diane," she greeted with a smile.

"Beth, dear, this is Linda, she also works at the station with Rick and I."

"It's nice to meet you," Linda shook Beth's hand firmly and was wearing a wide smile.

"You too," Beth nodded politely. Her manners drilled into her by her parents kept her from frowning or demanding to know why the women had been gossiping about her. Luckily, Diane was more than willing to talk unprompted.

"I was just telling Linda about you, yesterday Lori came into the station to have a 'talk' with Rick, and you were the main topic of the conversation." Diane gushed.

Beth hoped sincerely that Diane wasn't in charge of confidential information if this was how easy it was for her to talk, but Beth was too intrigued to care. "Me?" Beth asked with a mix of trepidation and curiosity.

"Apparently Lori didn't want to 'talk' to Rick in front of Carl, she didn't want to upset him-"

"Not that that's ever stopped her before," Linda snorted.

"-And, well, she is very unhappy about Rick's relationship you." Diane's smile was a bit gleeful. Beth wondered why.

"Very." Linda nodded in agreement.

Beth was now dying with curiosity. Lori had told Rick they would talk later that fateful morning after their first date but Rick hadn't mentioned Lori confronting him to Beth yet. "Did you hear anything interesting?" Beth asked hesitantly. She didn't want to seem ill-mannered but at the same time, these two ladies had been gossiping about her in the middle of a hardware store.

"Oh, we heard everything," Linda giggled.

"Now, I've known Rick a long time, and they few times I've seen Lori and him 'talk', it's mostly Lori doing the talking, or yelling, and Rick just standing there and taking it, but not this time," Diane began. "Lori threatened to go back to court and have the custody agreement redone because of Rick's _inappropriate relationship_ with you, Lori's words honey-"

"She really doesn't like that he's taking you out on dates around town. Or how young you are. How old are you dear?" Linda cut in.

"Oh. Um. Twenty-one." Beth blushed.

"Well that explains that," Linda's eyes were wide with surprise.

Diane continued on un-phased, "And Rick was furious and accused her of not really wanting to protect Carl but wanting more money-"

"She already gets sixty percent of his paycheck between alimony and child support, I do the station's payroll." Linda added.

"-And then he told her to go ahead and try to file an amendment and he would counter with a frivolous argument, since the custody agreement can only be modified if one of the parties has a significant change in income or employment. Then he finished with 'you've already ruined my life enough, you aren't going to ruin _this_ either.'"

"This meaning you. We were all so happy to see Rick finally stand up for himself!" Linda beamed. Beth nodded, that explained the two gossipy ladies happy attitude.

Diane nodded in agreement, "I thought Lori was going to attack Rick after that, but luckily Shane stepped in and escorted her out."

Beth was speechless. She knew that Rick's divorce was ugly and that he and Lori struggled to be civil but Lori confronting Rick about such a private issue in front of all those people, especially in front of Rick's co-workers, was crazy. And a tiny part of Beth did feel pretty good that Rick was defending their relationship to his ex-wife.

"Well?" Diane looked at Beth expectantly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so shocked. I can't believe Lori would confront Rick at work. But… I'm… I'm really happy with Rick and I only want Rick to be happy too." Beth said nervously. She wasn't exactly sure what Diane and Linda wanted to hear.

"Oh, you were right, she's such a doll!" Linda squealed and pulled Beth into a hug. Beth kind of flailed for a moment before returning the awkward hug.

"Trust us dear, Rick _is_ happy. The last few months he's been making leaps and bounds from the dark place his divorce put him in. And since I ran into you two at the store, he's been ..."

"Smiling. Joking. Not putting in so much overtime." Linda supplied.

"Beth, I'm about to check out!" Lacey called from the end of the aisle interrupting the ladies. Beth sighed in relief.

"It was so nice to meet you Linda, and to see you again Diane. I'll see you both later?"

"Of course." Diane beamed and Beth shook both their hands once again before heading off towards her waiting cousin.

Beth didn't know whether she should tell Rick that she knew of the fight with Lori as Rick did not like to talk about Lori or their divorce. Beth knew that it had been ugly, and would have lasted much longer than it did but Rick agreed to things he probably should not have just because he wanted to be done with the divorce. Beth had assumed it was only custody they had fought over but now she guessed that Lori receiving sixty percent of Rick's paychecks was another huge issue. Regardless, now Beth was a lot more nervous for her dinner later that night with Rick and Carl.

* * *

Beth normally did not agonize over clothes. Usually she'd pick what was clean and cute and be out the door. She knew she was being ridiculous, she'd already been out with Rick several times and he'd seen her most of her wardrobe already from her waitressing. She'd also previously met Carl wearing day old clothes. But she had all this nervous energy flowing through her from her earlier conversation with Diane and Linda and tonight was her first official dinner with Carl. Rick had Carl for the afternoon and evening, and he was picking her up after Carl's baseball game and they were going to a roadhouse restaurant, the kind where you can throw peanut shells on the floor, and here she was agonizing over clothes.

"Are you going out on a date or visiting Grammy Greene?" Lacey's voice interrupted Beth's thoughts. Lacey was leaning in the doorway of their shared bedroom with a skeptical expression on her face as she eyed Beth's outfit. Beth was wearing black tights, and gray skirt and a blue ruffle tank top.

"I'm trying to look older and mature, like I'm not nine years older than his son." Beth pointed out.

"Look, he knows you're young, that's probably why he's going out with you, so embrace it, show it off, plus it's July, no one wears tights in July."

Beth huffed and marched back to the closet. She then pulled out a light, gauzy dress with a high low hemline and a ruffle top with spaghetti straps. She held it up to Lacey who squealed, "Much better. I've got a belt you can borrow that'll draw attention to your tiny waist, and the ruffles will hide the fact you have no boobs!"

"Lace!" Beth huffed and blushed.

Lacey smirked back at her, "what? It's true."

Beth tossed a pillow at her nosy cousin. Rick didn't seem to have a problem with her breast size. She slipped out of her 'grandma' clothes and into the dress, finishing the look with the borrowed belt and her trusty boots when she saw through the window Rick's truck coming down the road. She hurried out, she didn't need any of her roommates to embarrass her. Lacey was sprawled on the couch watching Total Divas but cat-whistled as Beth rushed out the door.

Rick had barely stopped his truck when Beth left her house. He did get out to open the passenger side door for her, Beth gave him a light kiss on his cheek before she slid onto the bench seat next to Carl. Carl had a surly expression on his face and grunted out a forced sounding "hello."

"Hey Carl, how was your game?" Beth asked in a friendly tone.

Carl shrugged, "We won."

Ooookay, Beth thought to herself. Shouldn't he be happy that they won? She wondered if she was this sullen and full of angst as a teen. Probably not. Shawn hadn't been, her big brother had been the typical all-star teen athlete and first crush among her friends. Maggie had been the cool, rebellious, outspoken teen. She didn't really know how to deal with Carl since she hadn't dealt with anyone like him before. "Well, that's great," Beth replied enthusiastically as Rick climbed back into the cab and started the truck up again.

Carl rolled his eyes. "Sure. We now qualify for next weekend's tournament to see who wins the season."

Beth didn't respond, instead giving Rick a 'what's up?' look over Carl's head at his apparent derision over his success. Rick shrugged in response.

"I ran into Diane and Linda earlier today," Beth told Rick.

"Yeah? They didn't give you a hard time, did they?" Rick frowned and glanced over at her.

"They were… exuberant," Beth said delicately.

Rick laughed, "That's putting it nicely. Hopefully they didn't scare you off?"

Beth shook her head. "Quite the opposite… I'm not letting anything… ruin us either," Beth said with a soft smile.

Rick looked over at her again in surprise, over Carl's oblivious head, he knew what Beth meant. Beth was telling him that she knew Rick defended her to Lori and Beth, well, she was going to fight for them too.

The drive wasn't long, which was good since Carl was being a sullen mood killer. He perked up a bit after they were seated in the restaurant and he had a basket of rolls in front of him to chow down on. Rick chatted about Carl's game giving stats on Carl and his teammates and Beth nodded like she knew what any of it meant. Beth did decide to bring up the one topic that Carl had been excited for last time they talked.

"So, after this coming weekend baseball season will be over and you won't have practices all the time so maybe we can start on those guitar lessons I promised," Beth suggested.

"That'd be awesome!" Carl actually looked excited. Rick's expression also relaxed at Carl's mood change. Beth hadn't realized Rick's expression was tense until his brow finally relaxed and his smile wider then it had been. Beth felt thrilled that _she_ made them both feel better.

* * *

"You really don't mind teaching Carl to play the guitar?" Rick asked after they were back at Rick's apartment and Carl had been dropped off at Lori's house.

Beth shook her head, "no, it's nice. I like to see people get excited about music. Plus, I used to be in the youth choir at my church back when I was a kid. I used to help the younger kids out all the time and teach them how to read sheet music. I like it." Beth said as she toed off her boots and left them by Rick's front door.

Rick studied her with a small smile and shook his head, "You're too good to be true, Beth Greene. I can pay you for lessons if you'd like."

Beth shot Rick a coy look at Rick before responding, "Well, I can think of one way you can pay me, Mr. Grimes." Beth waggled her eyebrows in a failing attempt to be sexy and she giggled.

Rick's smile grew wider and he stalked his way back to her, Beth pressed back into the wall in Rick's entryway as Rick came to stand in front of her. Her breath hitched as she saw the expression of want in Rick's eyes. "Why don't we consider this a deposit on your services, Miss Greene?" Rick drawled as his hands came to rest on her hips and he leaned down to press a hungry kiss on her lips. Beth immediately moaned and wrapped her arms around Rick's neck pulling him closer so she could deepen the kiss.

They didn't make it to Rick's bedroom. Rick had been leading her in that direction until Beth distracted him. He slid down the thin straps of her dress to gain access to her breasts and he stopped when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. Beth blushed at Rick's groan and he gently pushed her down onto the couch on her back and took one of her nipples into his mouth. Beth's back arched in pleasure and she started unbuttoning Rick's shirt so she could feel more of his warm skin. Rick's stubble brushed against the sensitive skin of the underside of her breast adding to the pleasure of Rick's tongue swirling her nipple. Beth quickly gave up on Rick's shirt when it became apparent that he wasn't going to break contact with her skin. He pressed a line of soft kisses in her skin as he made his way to her other breast. Beth instead reached his belt buckle deftly undoing it and then unzipped his pants. Her long, slender fingers were then sneaking into Rick's jeans and boxers before wrapping around her prize. Rick hissed against her skin as she ran her fingers lightly along his length before encircling him.

Rick pulled away from her nipple, his hands ran along her sides and down her legs until he reached the hemline of her dress before his hands started back up her legs against her skin bringing her skirt with him. He reached her panties and quickly began tugging them down. Beth had to wiggle a bit uncomfortably to get them off all the way but then Rick's hands were back on her pelvic bone and tracing light patterns against her skin and Beth's grip on Rick tightened involuntarily.

Rick wasn't wasting time tonight it seemed, and he soon had two fingers parting her folds, circling her clit and then plunging into her. Beth gasped in pleasure and thrust wantonly against Rick's questing fingers. With her one free hand, the other hand was occupied with uneven tugs on Rick's cock, she pulled Rick's head towards her and went in for a kiss. Rick's tongue thrust into her mouth and Beth happily twined her tongue with his. Beth's hand left Rick's hair to reach back for Rick's jeans, she tugged his jeans and boxers down his hips and spread her legs as wide as she could with the back of the couch in her way to invite Rick to where they both wanted him to be. Rick pinched her clit as he withdrew his fingers. Beth whined at the loss, especially when Rick pulled fully away from her and began to fumble in his jeans for his wallet. He pulled out a condom from his wallet and tore into it. Beth watched him roll it on and then was eagerly tugging Rick back to her. She was tight as Rick entered her and she swooned at the delicious friction.

It was quick and rough, both seeking pleasure that Beth was quickly becoming addicted to. Afterwards Rick was sprawled on the couch with Beth on his chest and his arms tight around her waist. Both were still mostly dressed and Beth felt content. Not just physically, but emotionally. She had been miserable back in Atlanta, for three years she had slowly spiraled into unhappiness which resulted in desperation. Even when she moved out of the city and in with her cousins she hadn't felt good about herself. But Rick made her feel beautiful and cherished. She felt giddy, happy, and _free_ for the first time since she graduated high school and was naïve and eager to greet the world. And even though she knew their relationship wouldn't be easy, Lori openly detested her and Carl was a rollercoaster of teenage angst, she was willing to go through it all to keep this feeling. To keep Rick.

* * *

The week passed quickly. Beth had worked three dinner shifts during the week, so Rick had only been able to take her out on one date. He still came to Steak Out for dinner on the nights Beth worked, and Tuesday night he had stayed to watch Beth sing two sets. Even though they only had one proper date for the week Beth still spent every night with Rick. After her shift she'd swing by her place and pick up a change of clothes before hustling over to Rick's. They'd chat and cuddle on the couch watching TV before Rick would take her to bed. All in all it was a very pleasant week for Beth.

Saturday found Beth sitting idly and flipping through an outdated People magazine. It was one of the few Saturdays that she didn't have to work. Unfortunately for her, Rick had Carl for the whole weekend and today Carl had his all-day baseball tournament so Rick and Shane were camped out on the field's sideline with a cooler full of beer and junk food. Beth was using her day to herself to visit Maggie. It had been months since they had seen each other face to face.

But seeing Maggie wasn't the only thing on Beth's agenda for the day, she made an appointment at a Planned Parenthood between King County and Macon to get herself on birth control. Her relationship with Rick was still new, but it was going very well. Beth squeezed her thighs together as the memory of Thursday night flitted through her mind. Rick, understandably, didn't let Beth stay the night when he had Carl with him, so that night he had been determined to wear Beth out to tide her over the weekend. Mission accomplished.

Rick and Beth had only been together a couple of weeks now but Beth felt ready to take the big step of going on the pill. Things were going so well, Rick seemed to really like her, and they had gotten over some pretty big hurdles so far and there weren't any signs of Rick wanting to break things off. It was quite the opposite. Rick didn't know Beth's plan to go on the pill, he hadn't pressured her in anyway nor did he ask her to go on the pill but Beth felt better about a pill versus a condom because then she controlled the birth control, there was no paranoia of rips nor a need to worry about running out. Beth wanted to be a mom, she had since she was a young girl, she loved babysitting when she was in high school and couldn't wait to start a family of her own. But she didn't want to start before she was ready. She also didn't want to force Rick into anything. If Rick got her pregnant Beth knew that Rick would do the right thing and stay with her, as he did with Lori, but look how that turned out. No, if Beth was getting pregnant it was on her own terms, preferably after she was married. Of course a not-so-small part of her wanted that with Rick, but she also didn't want to scare him away. His divorce was only finalized about four months ago. So this was going to be a surprise for Rick, and if Beth had read the literature correctly, they'd be good to go bareback in time for Rick's thirty-fifth birthday next month.

So there Beth was, reading about the latest Kardashian drama in the waiting room of the Planned Parenthood, when the door that separated the waiting room from the examination rooms opened and a familiar voice reached Beth's ears. "So I can take the second pill in about six hours?"

"Yes, that will be enough time. It will make you sick so you want to take it easy, stay at home."

Beth didn't really process the nurse's words as she recognized Lori Grimes. Beth was sitting in a chair that was against the same wall as the door that the two women had just exited so their backs were to her but Beth still recognized Lori's tall, elegant figure. Beth just stared in shock as they walked up to the counter for Lori to pay her bill. Lori Grimes. Lori Grimes in a Planned Parenthood. One of the reasons Beth had come all the way to Augusta instead of the closer Lawrenceville clinic was that it was far from King County and no one would recognize her and therefore could not gossip about what Deputy Grimes' young girlfriend was doing there. It looked like Lori had the same idea. But what was she doing in a place like this? Lori had real health insurance, unlike Beth, she didn't need to come to a place like this for pills.

She sank lower in her chair and held her magazine in front of her face. Lori still had her back to Beth but any minute she would turn to exit and Beth really didn't want to be spotted. There were two other girls in the waiting room and nowhere to hide. Maybe if Beth engaged with the girl two chairs away from her when Lori did spot her she wouldn't confront her and maybe she would think that Beth hadn't seen her.

But before Beth could move the door to the examination rooms opened again and a different nurse called, "Elizabeth Greene?"

Beth watched in a frozen panic as Lori glanced over her shoulder with a frown and then freeze as her gaze landed on Beth. "Ms. Greene?" The nurse called again.

"Um, yes, that's me." Beth finally shook herself from her shock and stood. She fumbled with her purse and then she was following the nurse. She glanced one last time over her shoulder to see Lori with a scared expression on her face. Scared? That couldn't be right, Beth frowned. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking as she was led into an examination room.

"Ms. Greene, are you all right?" The nurse asked with a frown.

"Um, yes, I'm fine." Beth's voice sounded shaky as well.

"Ms. Greene is someone forcing you to be here? This is a safe space, you can tell me."

Beth finally looked at her nurse in the eyes in confusion. "What?" She asked.

"You're here for a birth control consultation, but if someone is forcing you to be here I need to know."

"Oh! No! God. No. The woman in the waiting room that was checking out, I know her and I was shocked to see her." The nurse just raised an eyebrow. "I'm dating her ex-husband." Beth elaborated.

The nurse's eyes widened. "Oh. Well. I can see where that would cause you to be unsettled. So you are here under your own free will?"

"Yes," Beth nearly laughed. "Sorry, we both live over in King County so seeing her here was a surprise. Plus, she hates me."

"I doubt she hates you in so much that she hates that you make her ex-husband happy. Trust me, I've got two ex-husbands and a whole lot of hate for skinny, young, and pretty white girls like you." The nurse said with a smirk and Beth laughed. Her nurse's words made her feel a bit better and Beth finally calmed down enough to get her blood pressure read.

* * *

"Okay Maggie, I kind of have some news that I was waiting to tell you in person because I knew you'd freak out, and something big just happened that I have to tell someone about." Beth was sitting cross legged facing Maggie on her comfy couch. Maggie was sitting facing her and Glenn was sitting in a gaming chair on the floor ignoring them while he played some shooting videogame. Beth arrived at her sister's apartment ten minutes before, and she was still bursting from her near run in with Lori.

"Beth, are you in trouble or something?" Maggie looked both curious and wary. Of course Maggie was concerned, Beth had been the perfect daughter up until leaving her family to move to Atlanta and even in Atlanta Beth had hardly done anything to cause trouble or be ashamed of. That is until the end, but Beth still hadn't told the truth to Maggie about why she left Atlanta.

"No. No trouble. At least I don't think so." Beth had been half afraid that Lori would be lurking in the parking lot waiting to confront Beth but thankfully Lori hadn't. "Remember when I told you about that older guy I like, Rick?"

"The thirty-four year old cop?" Maggie asked. Beth nodded. "Oh no, you slept with him and now you're pregnant."

"What? Why would you think that?" Beth gaped at her sister in shock.

"Well, you said I would freak out, just thought I'd get the worst scenario out of the way." Maggie shrugged with a grin.

"Well, you were partially right."

"You slept with the cop?" Maggie exclaimed and finally drew Glenn's attention.

"Wait, Beth's sleeping with a cop?" He asked over his shoulder and not even pausing his game.

"I'm in a _relationship_ with a cop. We're dating."

"Are you sure this older guy likes you? He isn't just using you?" Maggie asked in a concerned tone.

Beth shook her head, "Rick isn't like that. He's a gentleman and always trying to do the right thing. On our first date Rick turned down sex because he thought I was drunk."

"Okay… so far I'm not freaking out. Of course I'm not happy that he's so much older and you're apparently having sex already but if you're happy…" Maggie said slowly while studying her little sister.

"I'm happy. Really. He treats me better than Jimmy and Zach combined."

"So what's supposed to freak me out? He's not married is he?"

"No, but he's divorced and has a twelve year old son."

"Divorced? Twelve year old son?" Maggie exclaimed right before bursting out laughing. Beth blinked in surprise, she thought Maggie would be mad or disappointed, not laughing. "Oh, I am SO excited for the holidays this year." Maggie's grin was almost predatory.

"Um, why?" Beth asked nervously.

"Because, for the first time in forever I'm going to be the favorite daughter," Maggie said smugly. "Daddy is going to freak out."

"Finally, the Korean Kid won't look so bad!" Glenn laughed.

Beth rolled her eyes, "I am not the favorite. Besides, I'm the one who ran away to pursue a fruitless singing career. You went to college and have a stable job. I'm a waitress." Beth pointed out.

Maggie shook her head, "You've never done anything wrong in Daddy's eyes. You never once snuck out or went to unsupervised parties in high school, and when you went to Atlanta you showed 'passion for your dreams' or some crap. Daddy was worried about you but never angry. Now though… You're dating a much older, divorced, single father. He's going to be so mad." Maggie gave her little sister a grin worthy of a super villain.

"Well, thanks." Beth rolled her eyes.

"So what just happened that you have to talk about?"

"Okay, so before I came here I had an appointment at the Planned Parenthood over in Augusta."

"Good. Glad to see you're being smart about this relationship. But you getting pregnant would really assure my spot as Daughter of the Year." Maggie joked.

"Ugh, you're such a pain!" Beth huffed, "Anyways, I was in the waiting room and out walked Rick's ex-wife. I nearly died."

"Does she know who you are? How long have you been dating this Rick guy?"

"We've been together for a couple of weeks, and I met her once by accident. She didn't notice me at first and when she did notice me I was being called back so she couldn't say anything."

"Do you know why she was there?"

"Not really. She and a nurse were talking about a pill that going to make her sick." Beth shrugged.

Maggie's gaze turned serious as she asked, "How long have they been divorced?"

"Um, they separated last October and the divorce was finalized in April, I believe."

"And you're sure that they are done? Rick hasn't slept with her recently?" Maggie prodded.

"Are you kidding? They would murder each other if they were ever alone together. Why are you asking this?" Beth asked in confusion.

"Beth, she was getting an abortion," Maggie said seriously.

"What?" Beth gasped.

"The abortion pill, mifepristone, that's one of the forms of abortion. You take one pill at the clinic and then the next at home and it does terrible things to you."

"What?"

"My roommate junior year did it, she was sick for the next two days."

"Lori had an abortion?" Beth couldn't wrap her mind around the information. Lori. Abortion. No wonder Lori had looked scared instead of mad at seeing Beth.

Beth didn't even think for a second that it was Rick's. She met Rick not long after his divorce was finalized and she didn't believe that Rick would relapse and sleep with Lori, there was too much bad blood between them. Also, from what she could gather their sex life had been stale for quite a while before the divorce. And what a hypocrite! Lori was giving Rick a hard time about dating again when clearly she was doing the same thing. But off the radar, if Lori was going out on dates in town Amy would have heard about it and she definitely would have shared the news with Beth. And it was obvious whoever Lori was seeing she didn't want anyone to know about if she was aborting evidence.

Beth couldn't even fathom doing that. She just sat in a daze with Maggie wondering if she accidentally broke her little sister. But Beth's mind was stuck. Abortion. Lori. Huh.

* * *

Oh I went there.

Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** The part I struggle with the most with this story? The sex. I over analyze every word before I just say, screw it! So hopefully that turns out. :3 Also, meet Beth's mom and brother! I had a lot of fun writing the scene in the barn.

**Warnings: ** Sex, more talk about abortion.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Beth ignored Rick that night.

Not truly, she texted him as she left her sister's place in Macon to let him know she was leaving and then she texted him when she made it back to Harrison but feigned being too tired from the drive to chat. And since Rick had Carl for the night Beth knew Rick wouldn't ask her to come over. So she burrowed herself under a mound of blankets on her tiny bed and had a mini freak out.

First, Beth was so ridiculously against abortion. She grew up in a very religious household so she couldn't fathom why Lori would do it. Unless she had been raped? But no, Lori wasn't weak, she wouldn't have let that happen without a fight and she wouldn't have tried to hide it if it had happened. Second, there was no way it was Rick's, and if by some miracle it was, why would Lori have gotten an abortion? Another baby meant another eighteen years of guaranteed money coming from Rick in the form of child support. Lori was a housewife and it seemed like she was looking to stay that way for as long as she could. So who was the father?

The gossip arena was no help, there were plenty of gossip about Rick and Beth, but Lori? None. Should she tell Rick? Was it her place? They were divorced, so why would Rick need to know? Beth didn't have any answers and stayed awake into the wee hours of the night, her brain was too active to let her sleep.

* * *

The next day Beth was working a lunch shift at Steak Out, she was off around three o'clock and she had plans with Rick and Carl to make dinner for them. They had made the plan a few days ago and now Beth was wondering if she should cancel. She was afraid that if she saw Rick she would just blurt it out, no filter, in front of Carl. Wouldn't that be great?

Her shift was dragging by, Beth was full of anxiety over whether she should tell Rick about yesterday's events and she was checking the time every three minutes. She hadn't told Amy, her closest confidant in King County. As much as she liked Amy she knew that Amy would never be able to keep a secret as big as this to herself.

She was loading three beers onto her tray that Amy had just poured when Amy's gasp interrupted her. "What?" Beth asked. Amy's eyes were wide and she looked startled. She looked at Beth and nodded towards the door.

Beth turned around curiously and was then very glad her tray was on the counter and not in her hands as she surely would have dropped it in shock. Lori Grimes. Lori was standing just inside the door, surveying the bar like it was beneath her. Her eyes landed on the two blondes and she nodded in greeting and started walking their way.

"Oh my god," Amy muttered quietly. "She's not here to kill you or something, right?"

Beth shrugged helplessly and then Lori was standing before them looking chic in skinny jeans and a dressy tank top. "Beth, can I have a word with you?" Beth nodded numbly, her heart was pounding furiously and she wondered if Lori could smell her fear. "Privately?" Lori said looking at Amy.

"Why don't we step over there?" Beth gestured to the front of the bar when none of the tables were occupied so no one would overhear them. Lori nodded and Beth followed her meekly.

As soon as Lori was sure no one was listening she turned to face Beth again. Lori didn't waste any time and got straight to the point: "Have you told anyone about what you saw yesterday?"

"No. No I haven't." Beth responded quickly.

"Not a word to Rick? Or your pal Amy that can't keep her mouth shut?"

Beth shook her head, "No. Not a single word."

Lori was studying her, probably looking for some sign that Beth was lying. "I believe you," she sighed. Her posture relaxed the slightest bit and Beth could then see that Lori had dark circles under her eyes and her skin seemed paler than normal and had a sweaty sheen.

"It wasn't… you weren't forced, right?" Beth couldn't seem to say the word rape out loud and she fidgeted nervously.

"No. Nothing like that." Lori looked at her oddly, like she couldn't believe Beth would be worried about her. "It's not, it wasn't Rick's either."

Beth nodded relieved that Lori volunteered the information. "Okay."

"I have a proposition for you," Lori began again. "If you swear you won't tell anyone about seeing me or what I was doing there, then I swear that I will … tolerate your relationship with my ex-husband."

Beth blinked in surprise. The offer seemed too good to be true. Could Beth really do it though? Beth was a terrible liar, but this wouldn't really be lying, right? It would be an omission. If she was ever asked point blank, 'did you see Lori at a planned parenthood?' then she would crack but surely she could just never mention seeing Lori. "So you won't fight with Rick anymore about me? You'll be civil to me?" Beth verified cautiously.

"Correct," Lori nodded. "I won't actively support your relationship, but I will… endure it." Lori's expression was full of disgust and self-loathing but Beth smiled sweetly anyway. Beth could do this, it would help Rick and that's all Beth wanted. Besides, this wasn't something for Beth to tell. It was Lori's.

"Deal," Beth nodded and held out her hand for a handshake. Lori grabbed her hand, squeezed for a brief moment and then let go of Beth like she was diseased.

"Thank you for your discretion," Lori sounded pained but then she spun on her heel and marched out of the bar just as quickly as she came.

Beth stood for a moment just staring at the empty place Lori had been. Was it really that easy?

"Beth!" Amy hissed loudly from behind the bar. She was practically vibrating with her need to know what just happened. Here was Beth's first test at lying by omission. Beth walked slowly back to the bar. "What did she want?" Amy asked as soon as Beth was close.

"We… made a truce."

"About what?"

"I can't really say without violating the terms, but we going to be civil to each other. I think." Beth explained. Amy looked a tad disgruntled at the lack of details but then a patron was waving for Amy's attention and Beth was blessedly left alone.

* * *

It was easier than Beth would have thought, to keep something from Rick.

When she first arrived at Rick's apartment she was nervous, but she was quickly distracted by chatterbox Carl. Apparently spending an entire weekend with his dad did wonders for the kid, he was full of energy and smiles as he recapped his weekend with his dad. Carl's team placed second in the tournament, they had made it to day two and lost at the final game. He also recounted a story about two of his own teammates running into each other in the outfield while they were both trying to catch a ball resulting in a pop flying being a homerun instead of an out. Next Carl was telling her about a ride-along he did with his dad last night, Rick had been on-call and he and Shane were called in as backup to a drunk and disorderly and he got to watch his dad cuff a drunk guy.

Beth was amazed at Carl's transformation. She could hardly believe this was the sullen kid she'd met twice before, and now here he was laughing with his dad while he acted out being drunk. Beth then wondered if all Carl needed was attention. He'd had his dad to himself (plus Shane) all weekend and his dad had given him all his full attention. Rick had dutifully sat through a full day of baseball games cheering on his son and hollering at bad plays, he'd taken his son on a ride-along, and then he had stuffed his son full of waffles this morning and sat through _another_ baseball game all with a smile for his son. Carl was thriving under his dad's care. Two days ago Beth thought Carl hated baseball, but now he was already excited for next season and for the upcoming football season, which would be starting up the week before school.

So Beth tested her theory by enlisting Carl to help her cook dinner. She was making Russian chicken, rice and sautéed veggies. She had Carl smother the chicken in apricot jelly and Russian dressing while she prepared the rice and then she showed Carl the correct way to chop vegetables while the chicken was in the oven. Beth's experiment proved fruitful and Carl's mood stayed cheerful and Beth told him stories about her mom teaching her and Maggie how to cook and how Maggie set off the smoke alarm once when trying to make mac' n' cheese.

Rick watched them from the opposite side of the counter while sipping his beer. The look in his eyes made Beth blush when she caught him staring at her. He looked at her in a mix of awe and want and it was so intense Beth could feel her insides curl in anticipation.

The real test came after dinner. Lori picked up Carl after dinner at eight on the dot. Rick was washing the dishes while Beth packed up the leftovers when Lori knocked on the door. Carl answered it with a big grin and told his mom he'd just be a minute while he grabbed his bag. Lori stood a few feet in the door looking into the kitchen. Beth watched her out of the corner of her eye but didn't make eye contact.

"You're washing dishes?" Lori's voice was full of surprise, but her tone wasn't angry or sarcastic.

Beth watched Rick as he turned to face Lori. She hoped that Rick wouldn't get upset at Lori and accidently push her to go back on her word. But Rick surprised both of them, his voice was full of concern when he asked, "are you alright?"

Lori's eyes immediately flashed to Beth ready to accuse her but Beth's look of confusion stopped her. "Why wouldn't I be?" She asked looking at Rick again.

"You don't look good, you're all pale. Are you sick?" Rick asked with a frown.

"It's nothing. I think I got food poisoning, but I'm feeling better since this afternoon," Lori responded. Her skin was still pale and she didn't look as put together as she had earlier when she confronted Beth.

"If you aren't feeling well I can keep Carl for another night. I can drop him off on my way into the station," Rick told Lori.

Lori shook her head, "No, it's fine. I'm okay."

Rick shrugged, "Alright."

And then Carl was back with his baseball duffel. "I'm ready, Mom."

"Okay. Um. Have a good night, Rick. Beth." Lori nodded and then was out the door while Rick gave Carl a quick hug. Carl waved to Beth before following his mom.

Beth breathed in a deep breath in relief. Lori had kept her word. She hadn't been nice but she was civil and she acknowledged Beth's existence peacefully. May this would work. "That was weird," Rick said as he turned to face Beth.

Or maybe it wouldn't. "What was weird?" Beth asked.

Rick shook his head and turned back to the sink. "Lori normally is a drama queen when it comes to being sick. She'd lie on the couch or stay in bed and wanted to be waited on hand and foot. I'm surprised she didn't demand that I drop off Carl instead of coming to get him."

Beth shrugged in reply. She couldn't lie if she didn't say anything. She put the containers in the fridge and took out a beer for Rick. He smiled at her in thanks and put the last dish into the drying rack before taking the bottle from her. "You know what else is weird?" Rick asked with a grin.

"What?" Beth asked a bit nervously. Was he going to mention that Lori had been civil? Or Carl's mood swings?

"I was turned on by watching you get along with my son. Weird, right?"

Beth smiled back at him. She had really enjoyed Rick watching her earlier, his look has been so intense. They were moving so fast in this relationship, emotionally. They'd known each other for several months before she asked Rick out but she already felt so connected and attached to Rick. She didn't want to go throwing around the 'love' word this early but she felt like she was. In love with Rick. And it seemed that he was too. Maybe love was too strong of a word but he definitely seemed committed to her.

Beth's grin turned playful as she responded, "You know what turns me on?"

Rick's grin widened, "What?"

"Watching you do the dishes."

Rick approached her, boxing her against the counter. "Yeah?" He asked as he leaned into her personal space.

Beth's heart sped up as it often did when Rick was close. "Yeah." It wasn't elegant, she had wanted to say something witty but her head was too clouded by Rick's presence. Rick hadn't given her more than a peck since Friday morning and Beth didn't think they should ever go that long again without kissing. Rick must have sensed her thoughts because he finished leaning in and their lips met. It wasn't light or gentle kiss, Rick went straight in, tongue plundering between her lips and Beth moaned in delight. They spent several minutes locked together, lips and tongues sliding against each other, before Rick slid back. Beth was about to pout at Rick but then he was pulling her with him.

The walk to his bedroom was quick, soon they were in Rick's sparse bedroom and Beth went willingly to his bed. Rick leaned over her on his knees and his hands snuck under her shirt from her waist and slowly tugged up her shirt while pressing kisses into the skin he was exposing. Beth finished tugging her shirt over her head as Rick mouthed her nipple through her bra. "The last few nights have been torture," Rick whispered against her skin as he trailed kisses along her collarbone, "My sheets smell like you, but you weren't here. It was unbearable."

Beth's heart fluttered at the knowledge that Rick was just as needy as she was. She used all her strength to flip their positions. Rick grinned up at her as she straddled his waist. She gave him a smirk and started to unbutton his shirt revealing Rick's firm, toned chest. Beth never would have guessed she would be aroused by chest hair, but there was something primal and stirring about the wiry hair sprinkled across Rick's chest and abs that drew Beth in. She leaned in to press a trail of kisses down Rick's chest following the trail to Rick's jeans.

Rick helped her undo the belt buckle and then Beth was tugging Rick's jeans and boxers down together and then running her nimble fingers around Rick's flesh. Rick moaned and reached for Beth as his cock grew firm under Beth's ministrations. Beth ran her fingers up the vein of his cock, delicately circling just under the head and then forming a snug fist around Rick and pumping slowly. Rick's moan sent a thrill to Beth's core.

Rick broke Beth's grip, he pulled her up for a long, lingering kiss and rolled them over again. Beth wrapped her arms around Rick's shoulders as they shifted and opened her legs to cradle Rick. He then reached into the nightstand to grab a condom and Beth shimmied out of her shorts and panties while Rick rolled on the condom and then settled back between Beth's thighs. He then teased Beth's entrance with his latex covered cock. Beth throbbed at the sensation and tugged at Rick's hips begging silently for more.

It was a delightful relief for Beth when he finally thrust his cock into her aching center. He halted for a moment, giving Beth the chance to relish the feeling of fullness. Then he started to move, every thrust controlled and deep, designed to maximize Beth's pleasure. He was hovering over her, his weight on his elbows, his lips on her neck, kissing, licking and biting. His chest lightly rubbed over her breasts, the hair on his chest tickling Beth's peaked nipples. Rick went on driving himself into Beth faster and harder, her fingers frantically clawing at his back, holding on for dear life. Each thrust brought her closer to the edge.

"Come for me, Beth," Rick's voice raw with pleasure sent vibrations down Beth's spine and she happily obliged with a cry of pleasure.

Rick didn't last long as Beth's walls tightened around him and a few hard, fast thrusts had him crying out, "fuck, yes," as he came, before he collapsed on top of Beth. Beth happily held Rick's weight on top of her enjoying his heaviness.

Partly recovered, Rick kissed Beth's lips again, long and languid, passionate and full of unspoken emotion. He then rolled off of Beth to lie flat on his back, disposing of the condom, before he pulled Beth close to his chest.

Beth happily snuggled into Rick's warmth, content and her earlier concerns forgotten in the face of her pleasure.

* * *

Tuesday morning found Beth alone in the little house she lived in, something rare when one lived with three other roommates. With her uncommon alone time Beth was determined to start planning her future. In May she had moved to Harrison to reevaluate her life goals and so far she hadn't done much besides moon over Rick and try to make as much money as possible. Now it was the beginning of August, she had Rick and she had a little bit of money saved so she needed to start thinking about what to do with her life.

Beth flipped idly through the course catalog for the community college over in Linden County. Susie, her other roommate and Rachel's twin sister, was taking classes there and had left the catalog out so Beth was borrowing it. Beth was tossing around the idea of finally going to school. She could get a degree in education and teach music, or she could look into a degree in music and try to become a music director at a church. Both of those options usually required bachelor's degrees but she could start at a community college and get her basic core classes out of the way before attending a bigger school.

Beth wondered if she still had a college fund. Here dad had threatened to use it on her brother when Beth had first told her parents that she wasn't going to college and instead was moving to Atlanta to pursue a singing career. It was probably better spent on her brother since he actually knew what he wanted to do with his life and was attending an expensive, out-of-state school, unlike Beth. But every penny she had saved over the last three years had gone into the settlement for her breach of contract on her record deal. It was why she was living in a small house with three other girls. She didn't even have her own bedroom.

She was interrupted from her future musings by her cell phone ringing. Speak of the devil, she thought. "Hey Momma," Beth answered her phone when she saw 'Home' was calling. Her father rarely ever initiated a phone call, usually it was her mother and then her father would be handed the phone for a few minutes of conversation and then her mother would get back on the line.

"Bethy!" Her mother greeted. "Well, you aren't dead in a ditch somewhere so what's your excuse for not calling your Momma recently?"

Beth rolled her eyes but grinned in response to her mother's guilt trip. It had only been a week since they had last spoken, but it had been a brief phone conversation that had mostly been her mother filling her in on the latest gossip in their hometown and Beth staying silent regarding her own personal life. "Sorry Momma, I've been busy," Beth apologized.

"Busy, hmm? Maggie mentioned you might be… _busy._" Beth could tell from her mother's tone that Maggie had spilled the beans, or at least some of the beans, to Annette, Beth's mother.

"Yeah I visited Maggie over the weekend… what did she tell you?" Beth probed.

"Well, not much frankly. She mentioned that you are in a new relationship and that's why I haven't been hearing from you lately." Beth breathed in relief. It seemed Maggie hadn't given any details, Maggie had said how excited she was for Beth to get in trouble with their parents but it didn't sound like she talked. Yet. "You also haven't come out to visit us once yet this summer. Shawn heads back to school in late August and then we won't see him until Thanksgiving week."

The pout was obvious in her mother's voice. Shawn, her older half-brother, was at one of the top veterinary schools in the country out in Colorado. Her daddy had used a lot of connections and Shawn had worked his butt off to get accepted. So now her mother was often upset about how far away her son was, she had pushed for Shawn to attend University of Georgia over in Athens but her father had wanted 'only the best' for their son, which was very kind since Shawn was only his stepson. But it caused her mother to smother Maggie and Beth, her only two children in the state. Even though Annette didn't give birth to Maggie she treated Maggie as one of her own.

"I should be able to come out Sunday," Beth said as she thought over her and Rick's schedules. She had Sunday off but Rick didn't so Beth normally would just hang out with either her roommates or Amy.

"And you'll bring this new beau with you?" Her mother asked eagerly.

"No, he has to work."

"What kind of man works on the Lord's day?" Her mother's disapproval was obvious in her tone.

"He's a deputy sheriff Momma, crime doesn't rest on Sundays so cops don't either."

"A deputy sheriff? Well that's certainly better than a pizza delivery boy." Her mother's tone was once again genial.

"Momma!" Beth rolled her eyes, "I don't think Glenn is going to be a pizza guy for the rest of his life," Beth reprimanded her mother for her comment against Glenn.

"Oh you know I adore Glenn." Her mother laughed. "So we'll see you on Sunday? We can gab all about this new boy of yours?"

"It's a date." Beth agreed.

* * *

Annette, Beth's mother, had gone all out for her baby girl's visit home. Maggie was also in mandatory attendance as Macon was much closer to the Greene farm than King County. Glenn was absent and supposedly working but he could have just been avoiding their father, Hershel, who didn't think anyone was good enough for his daughters.

Hershel was currently out on an emergency vet call, one of the neighbor's horses had broken a leg so her father and Patricia, her father's vet tech, had rushed off right after church leaving the family to have a light lunch. Beth's mother was preparing a feast for dinner before both Maggie and Beth would have to drive home. For now though, Annette was making her children help Otis with all the horses in the stable while she supervised.

"So, Bethy, tell us all about this new sweetheart of yours," Annette called over from where she was spoiling Nelly with a sugar cube while Maggie cleaned out the horse's shoes.

"Yes, Bethy, please do tell us about Rick." Maggie grinned evilly up at Beth.

"Wait, Beth's datin'?" Shawn was mucking out the stalls and he stuck his head out from Sundance's stall to frown at his baby sister.

"I'm twenty-one Shawn, I'm allowed to date," Beth rolled her eyes at her brother's over protectiveness.

"I never did get to meet that Zach kid," Shawn grumbled.

"So his name is Rick?" Annette pulled the conversation back on track.

"Rick Grimes," Beth nodded. She was brushing down Sundance, her favorite horse.

"And he's a deputy sheriff?" Annette kept prodding.

"Yup," Beth nodded again.

"Now why are you being so hush, hush about this boy? With Jimmy and Zach you used to constantly gush over them." Annette faced her daughter with her hands on her hips.

"Well, he ain't a boy, that's for sure," Maggie said cheekily.

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" Annette frowned.

"He's a bit older than me." Beth said cryptically.

"Well of course he is, he's already gone through enough schooling to become a deputy," said Annette, "So he's what, twenty-six? Twenty-seven?"

Maggie snorted in the background still wearing her Cheshire cat grin. "Give or take a few years," Beth responded noncommittally.

"Are you dating a thirty year old?" Shawn asked now with his arms crossed over his chest and still frowning and his rake forgotten.

"He's thirty-four!" Maggie finally burst.

"What?" Shawn and Annette both gasped. "That man is way too old for you!" Her mother scolded.

"Too old? What about the age difference between you and Daddy?" Beth pointed out, her mother was in her late fifties while her father was in his early seventies.

"That's different, I met Hershel in my thirties, and I was a widow." Annette argued.

"Yeah, she already had me," Shawn pointed out.

"That's not even the best part!" Maggie interrupted, "He's divorced had has a son!"

"Elizabeth Greene!" Her mother held a hand over her chest in surprise. Beth shot a glare at Maggie's grinning face, she knew that her family would find out all the details about Rick eventually, but Beth had planned to reveal them slowly and over months. Perhaps years.

"I can't wait to see Daddy's reaction," Maggie said.

"Oh no. No, no, no. You say nothing, troublemaker." Annette snapped out of her surprise to scold Maggie. "I'll break this to Hershel. Slowly. Very slowly."

"That was my original plan," Beth said and shot another pointed look at her older sister.

"I want to meet this man that thinks he's good enough for my baby sister." Shawn was still frowning and studying Beth.

"Are you going to go threaten a cop? C'mon Shawn, if you get kicked out of your pricey, out-of-state vet school Daddy will skin you alive." Beth pointed out.

"I ain't gonna threaten him… much." Shawn defended with a grin.

"How did you even meet this man?" Her mother asked.

"He's a regular at the bar I waitress at. We've known each other pretty much since I moved to Harrison but we've only been together about a month now."

"Yeah, she was mooning over him a few months ago." Maggie nodded.

"I wasn't mooning…" Beth blushed.

"Bethy, honey, I don't think you should be in this relationship. Older men tend to have expectations of women and you're still _so_ young." Annette tried to reason.

Beth blushed harder at her mother's words, "Momma, please, we are not having this conversation. And Rick is super nice, he's a gentleman, we move at my pace for everything, and I am the one that asked him out."

"You asked out this old dude?" Shawn asked in disbelief.

"Old dude? He's only seven years older than you." Beth huffed.

"Annette, Hershel and Patricia just pulled up," Otis called as he walked into the stables to warn them.

"Oh! Thank you Otis, I need to start preparing supper then. Now, devious children of mine, no details about Beth's Rick fellow until I talk to Hershel."

Beth agreed happily while Shawn and Maggie grumbled their assent.

* * *

**A/N:** For all of you thinking 'that's it?!' for the abortion storyline... nope. Just wait. Rick will find out, and so will certain other people. It will not be pretty.

Review please!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** More Maggie and Glenn in this chapter! Some of Glenn's background is a nod to his five-second Big Bang Theory cameo. I know other writers have done it as well but I couldn't resist. T-Dog makes his first appearance in this chapter! I'm also interested in what you all think of Rick (and Shane! He doesn't need zombies to be out of control!) in this chapter.

Enjoy!

**Warnings: ** car sex, mentions of domestic abuse

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Maggie chose the worst day to surprise Beth to meet Rick.

The lunch rush was starting soon and Beth missed her sister's entrance as she was in the tiny kitchen with T-Dog doing some last minute inventorying. T-Dog worked part-time for Steak Out bartending, handling deliveries or sometimes cooking and also part-time for a local church doing maintenance. Despite insisting everyone call him "T-Dog" (his real name was Theodore Douglas) he was once of the nicest guys Beth had ever met. In between his two jobs he even managed to find time to volunteer at a nearby old folks home. Amy liked to call him 'Saint T-Dog.'

Amy flagged Beth down as soon as she emerged from the kitchen. "High top 3 asked for you to serve them," Amy nodded at the table in question as Beth walked up to the bar.

Beth glanced over her shoulder to scope out the new table and gasped. "Oh no!"

"What, what's the matter?" Amy glanced back at the table, it was a man and a woman, both around Amy's age, the man was Asian and the woman had chin length reddish brown hair.

"That's my sister and her boyfriend," Beth moaned.

"Oh Beth, you've become my favorite person with all your drama lately." Amy grinned and patted the younger girl on the head.

Beth rolled her eyes at Amy before marching over to the table. "Maggie, what are you doing here?" Beth hissed at her sister.

"Beth, you've been dating this new guy for a month now and I haven't met him. I want to meet the man that is going to make me Daughter of the Year," Maggie responded with a smirk.

"So you thought you'd ambush me?"

"It's what big sisters do," Maggie shrugged with a grin. "That and tell embarrassing stories."

"Well, Rick is at work, much like I am," Beth glared at her sister.

And then deputies Leon and Lambert walked in. Beth let out a high pitched 'meep'. Rick and his fellow officers rarely came in for lunch, Beth could only think of one previous time before she and Rick were dating, it must be a slow day at the sheriff's office.

"Hey Bethy!" Leon waved and she waved back as the two officers in their uniforms took a seat at a table that sat six. _Crap_, Beth mentally cursed.

"Please tell me that's not him," Maggie asked in a lower whisper and Glenn tried to cover a laugh with a cough. Leon was tall and awkward, had a ridiculous mustache, and was the newest cop on the force but he was friendly.

"No, that's Leon, and the older one is Lamb, they both work with Rick though. Now, you two should really go to the café down the street, or better yet, back to Macon," Beth said as she turned back to glare at her sister.

"Not until I meet the old man," Maggie finished in a sing-song.

"Ugh," Beth growled and flounced away, over to Leon and Lambert. "Hello officers! Just the two of you today?"

"Nope, we're celebrating Lambert's birthday today, and he wanted the best burger in town for lunch," Leon spoke with a goofy grin.

Lambert nodded, "Yup. Old Dale's been serving the best burgers for years now." Lambert was easily twenty years older than his partner as well as quieter and sterner, but Beth liked him despite his prickly nature.

"Some of the others will be joining us shortly. I'm sure Rick wouldn't miss it for the world," Leon winked.

Beth smiled in response and then hurried back to her sister, "C'mon Maggie, is this really how you want to meet him? Ambush a deputy sheriff in the middle of a bar with his co-workers ready to arrest you?"

"I wouldn't have to if you would just introduce us properly," Maggie smiled not-so-sweetly.

Diane and Linda walked in then. What, were they closing the office for lunch?

Beth went over to greet them as well and brought a round of waters. "So who's working if ya'll are down here?" she asked curiously. She desperately wanted them to say Rick.

"Don is on a diet of some sort that his wife put him on. And Patty is on dispatch." Diane told Beth after getting a hug out of her.

"Rick and Shane responded to a call a little while ago. They should make lunch though." Linda added.

"So are we going to get any food? 'Cuz I'm starving." Glenn asked when Beth went back to try again to get her sister to leave.

"Well, maybe you two should have thought about that before waylaying me like this," Beth responded with a huff.

"Don't be a pill Bethy, you said you have the best cheese fries in the world, we'll start with that. And we'll stay all day if we need to. We've both got the entire day off."

Beth moaned and walked away again. She went to Amy and pouted at the older blonde, "Can I just leave? Just run away for a few hours?"

"Oh you are better than Days of our Lives right now." Any grinned.

But Rick didn't show up, neither did Shane, and instead of feeling relief Beth worried even more. "They said he'd show up, what if something happened to him?" Beth asked Amy later. The deputies were leaving, Leon waved at her as they walked out.

"Beth, relax, if something happened the others would have been called in and they would have run off like bats outta hell." Amy placed a hand on Beth's shoulder to calm her down.

Despite Rick not showing up Maggie and Glenn wouldn't leave. After the cheese fries they made their way slowly through the appetizer menu: pizza rolls, fried pickles, fried jalapeños (which made Glenn tear up like a little girl, priceless!), and a basket of wings.

Rick and Shane did actually come in, at 4:30, but they did not look happy.

"Oi Amy! We need two Yuenglings, stat." Shane called as they came through the door. Rick had a grim expression on his face as he followed Shane to the bar. Beth was further back, serving a round of beers to a booth. She glanced nervously at her sister and Glenn but they stayed seated and studied the two intently.

"Give me five minutes," she hissed at her sister as she walked by. Maggie nodded, content for the moment. She slid in between the stools to stand next to Rick and greeted them, "Hey, the others came in for lunch today, they thought you'd be in too."

Rick nodded, he took a long swig of the beer Amy put in front on him before responding, "Yeah, we had a call before lunch and… it didn't go well."

"That sonuvabitch," Shane cursed and drained his beer.

"Are you guys okay? No one hurt?" Beth looked them both over but neither seemed to be harmed.

"We're fine."

"But ol' Ed Peletier sure ain't," Shane mumbled.

"Ed?" Amy gasped. She was still standing on the other side of the bar watching them intently. Despite Rick making him leave that night months ago Ed was still a regular at the bar.

"You know we can't talk about it," Rick shook his head. "We just finished up with the call. Chief sent us home." Rick shot a glare at Shane who huffed.

"As long as you're all right," Beth said as she looked Rick over again for any signs of injury. Both he and Shane were agitated but Rick seemed upset at Shane and she wondered what Shane had done.

"So…" Beth began uncertainly, "This seems like the worst timing ever… but I have an unpleasant surprise for you." Beth spoke carefully as she fidgeted full of nervous energy.

Rick turned his full attention to her. "What's wrong?" he asked with a frown.

"Well… my sister and her boyfriend ambushed me today and they're here. Right over there." Beth tilted her head in her sister's direction.

Rick didn't respond at first and Shane snorted laughter on Rick's other side. "Oh this is going to be a good show. Cheer me right up after the bad day I've had."

"Bad day you've had? I spent the majority of my day cleaning up _your_ mess." Rick hissed in anger at Shane. Amy and Beth glanced at each other, Amy was still standing on the other side of the bar in front of Shane, neither of them had ever seen Rick this angry before.

"Hey, you saw what he had done, was I supposed to just let him be?"

"Yes, that's exactly what you're supposed to do. Ed might walk free because you're an _idiot_. Whatcha gonna do then?" And with that Rick drained the rest of his beer, slammed the empty bottle back on the bar and then snatched the second bottle that Amy had served Shane. "Amy, this idiot is buyin' my drinks. Now," he pushed back out of the stool and turned to face Beth, "where's your sister?" Rick was angry, his voice forceful, and Beth should have been worried but she instead was strangely turned on by this forceful and dominate side of Rick. Normally he was always polite and friendly, which Beth adored, but seeing him the complete opposite had her… excited.

She nodded at her sister's table and Rick marched off with his beer in hand and Beth following.

"Rick Grimes. You must be Maggie Greene and the boyfriend Glenn." Rick's greeting was clipped and he slid into the open chair across from Maggie. Beth slid in the chair next to Rick and across from Glenn.

"Hi," Maggie frowned at Rick's brusque attitude.

"Glenn Rhee." Glenn shook Rick's outstretched hand while looking nervous. Rick did paint an intimidating picture still in his uniform and the unyielding expression on his face. Beth did her best not to stare like a love sick school girl.

"So what do you do Glenn?" Rick asked, his tone lightened a bit.

"Well, uh, I deliver pizzas part-time but I'm also getting my master's degree in Engineering at Mercer." Glenn replied.

Rick nodded, "Solid school, decent basketball team. And Maggie, you work at a bank, right?"

"Um, yeah, as a Teller." Maggie was startled and off her game at Rick's abruptness.

"You both like living in Macon?"

"Sure, Georgia is… different." Glenn took over the conversation.

"I take it you didn't grow up here?" Rick asked wryly. It was clear that Glenn wasn't a local, he talked like someone from the Midwest.

Glenn shook his head. "I grew up in Chicago, did my undergrad at Caltech, and moved to Georgia when I was accepted into Mercer. So I'm from all over."

"Caltech? That's outside of LA, right? Meet anyone famous?" Rick asked curiously.

"No… but I once delivered pizza to the building they used as Nakatomi Plaza."

"Wait, from Die Hard?" Beth rolled her eyes fondly as Rick passed Glen's test of approval. All it took for Glenn to like someone was if they liked Bruce Willis movies.

Glenn and Rick then had a five minutes discussion on how awesome the series was, minus the last movie, which they both agreed to not even acknowledge existed. Beth could tell Maggie wasn't won over. Maggie was watching Rick was a frown as she chewed on the straw from her drink. Beth needed to show Maggie that Rick was a gentleman and that he treated her like a princess, but how to do that?

Beth tuned back into the conversation when Rick spoke to Maggie. "I'd like to apologize for my less than pleasant attitude. I am a little out of sorts, you see, I had a monumentally bad day today at work. I'd like to take you all out for dinner, but it can't be tonight. I can't leave the idiot over at the bar unsupervised. So how about this weekend Beth and I come down to Macon and treat you two to a nice dinner?" Perfect, Beth thought with a grin, and completely unprompted by her. Rick would have time to cool down from whatever happened earlier with Shane and handsy Ed Peletier and Beth could show off Rick treating her right.

"Yeah, we'd love to have you down to Macon," Glenn responded enthusiastically. Maggie agreed reluctantly.

Rick nodded and stood the from chair. "We better head out, I'll be at Shane's tonight keepin' an eye on him." Rick told Beth as they both walked slowly away from the table. Beth nodded and Rick leaned down to press a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. Rick then headed back to Shane and Beth hurried off to check on the two tables she was neglecting.

* * *

Gossip moves fast in a small town like Harrison. Before Maggie and Glenn left they got to hear from Amy what happened earlier. They, along with Beth, were all leaning against the bar as Amy told them what she had learned from her various sources. Rick respected the confidentiality of his job and didn't talk about the incident but hardly anyone else in the town had Rick's integrity. Between people at the hospital, neighbors of the Peletiers and a certain gossip working at the sheriff's office, the whole town was buzzing with what happened.

It was no secret that Ed's wife, Carol, was 'accident prone', she often had bruises that she explained away with her clumsiness. No one in town believed her, but with Carol unwilling to press charges against her husband the cops could do nothing. Until today.

Ed had started his morning mad and drunk, the neighbors could hear him yelling and breaking things in his home but didn't do anything about it until skinny, twelve year old Sophia tearfully knocked on her neighbor's door and asked if they could call the cops.

Shane and Rick responded to the call. Ed refused them entry to his house but since Sophia had told the operator her mother was hurt they had just cause to enter the house forcefully. Rick subdued Ed, was cuffing him while Ed was on his knees and blubbering. Sophia and the neighbor stood in the doorway watching. Shane found Carol crumpled on the floor, she wasn't conscious and her face was hardly recognizable from the beating she had gone through. Shane, instead of calling for an ambulance or checking on Carol, shoved Rick out of the way and attacked a defenseless Ed. It took Rick several tries to get Shane off of Ed and he handcuffed his own partner to the stairs banister.

Because of Shane's actions Rick only called dispatch for two ambulances before he called the sheriff directly to come to the scene. That was why Leon and Lambert hadn't been alerted to the call. Carol and Ed were taken to the hospital, Rick took Sophia to the station, and the sheriff had an un-witnessed talk with Shane before bringing him back to the station.

Beth listened to Amy's account with a grim expression. No wonder Rick was so furious with Shane. Potentially, Ed could go free because of Shane's thoughtless actions.

Maggie, shocked by the story, was willing to give Rick a second chance and readily planned with Beth for dinner Friday night.

* * *

Dinner in Macon with Maggie and Glenn went much smoother.

Rick ordered a high-end bottle of pinot grigio for the table, Maggie's favorite type of wine as Beth had informed him. Beth only sipped at her glass through the meal until Maggie reached over and finished it off. Rick told a few funny anecdotes from when he and Shane were in the Academy and then rookies together.

Beth could also tell that Maggie was noticing all of Rick's small, affectionate gestures towards Beth. He opened doors for both Beth and Maggie, held out Beth's chair, and held her hand under the table until their food had arrived. He was also oblivious to the hostess that had been making eyes at Rick and sat them with a flirtatious smile that Beth had glared at. When Rick had asked her why she was glaring at the poor woman Beth responded, "She was making googly eyes at you."

"Was she? I didn't notice. I was thinking about last time you wore this dress on our first date, did Beth ever tell ya'll about the sorry state of my kitchen?" Rick then launched into his first anecdote of the night, and in good humor talked about the sorry state of his bachelor kitchen. Beth practically glowed under Rick's attention. Not only did he ignore a pretty girl for her but he remembered what Beth wore on their first date. Beth was indeed wearing the same blue and yellow sundress that she wore when she cooked Rick dinner and then spent her first night in his bed. Beth did chime in to Rick's story to emphasize the sad state of Rick's kitchen and how clueless Rick had been while Beth dragged him through Bed, Bath and Beyond. Maggie then told the tale of how the only thing Glenn ate before he met Maggie was top ramen noodles and cold pizza.

"Okay, he's definitely better than I thought," Maggie told her later when she and Beth were in the bathroom together. Rick had already paid the bill and declined to let Glenn and Maggie help pay. "He looks at you like you hung the moon."

Beth blushed. "I told you he treats me good."

"And how's the sex? He's so confident and charismatic, I bet he's killer in the sack."

Beth blushed even harder, "Maggie!"

"Was he your first? If so then you probably don't even know how good he truly is," Maggie mused. They were both leaning against the sink countertop and Maggie was grinning lecherously at her little sister.

"He wasn't, no, and I can say he is leagues better than what I had before."

"Aha! I knew you were holding back on me!"

"I'm a lady, Maggie, and ladies don't kiss and tell," Beth responded playfully and artfully dodged Maggie's unspoken question. Beth had no desire to rehash her Atlanta experience with her sister, especially not in a public ladies room. "C'mon, they're gonna wonder if we fell in or something."

As they parted ways for the night Rick agreed to Maggie's request that they try to meet for dinner once a month. Beth was so happy that the night had gone so well that she almost jumped Rick's bones there in the parking lot.

She resisted for a good hour, until they were back on a deserted county road not far from King County. Beth's hand had been resting on Rick's leg and she slowly slid her hand up Rick's high, squeezing a warning before she was undoing his belt and slipping into his tight jeans. Rick swerved into the shoulder, slammed on the breaks, and was pulling Beth into his lap before the truck was completely stopped.

Beth's hands were then in Rick's hair, tugging Rick into a position that gave her easiest access for kissing. They devoured each other, teeth clacking, tongues wrestling, and she hardly noticed Rick fumbling for his wallet and taking out a condom. She did notice when Rick's hands went under her skirt, sliding the condom on and stroking her thighs. Beth whimpered while he was pushing her panties aside enough for access and then he was thrusting into her. Beth was tight, not fully prepared, and she gasped at the initial pain. Rick mumbled apologies against her lips but Beth shook her head before raising her hips and then slamming back down on Rick. She wanted this perhaps more than Rick did. He groaned, pulling away from her bruised lips to throw back his head and smacked it against the headrest. Beth giggled, raising and sinking herself onto Rick once more at a slower pace enjoying the feel of Rick's cock sliding against her inner walls. Rick hands were on her hips then, guiding her into a steady rhythm while he was thrusting up into her.

They didn't last long. Beth started moving faster, seeking more of the delicious friction and then Rick's thumb was pressing into her and Beth wailed into her orgasm. Rick held her steady, he only needed two more thrusts before he shouted his release and held Beth tight against him. Beth couldn't move for a few moments, she just leaned into Rick, breathing heavily and body tingling pleasurably. Rick's fingers were soothing the skin on her hips where he had gripped her tightly.

Beth finally found the energy to lift herself off of Rick, they both winced at the sticky sensation of skin and hair pulling. Beth flopped onto the seat beside Rick, content as a cat to just curl up and nap. Rick grabbed a napkin from the glove box and to dispose of the condom before adjusting and zipping his jeans back up.

"Well, I definitely won't complain about meeting up with your sister if they all end like that," Rick joked.

Beth smiled in response, she was satisfied on every possible level.

* * *

**A/N: ** I promise I'll take a break from Maggie for a few chapters. Or at least try!

Review please! :3


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ** No Maggie in this chapter! I kept my promise. The Dixons have their first mention, Daryl will be making an appearance in a couple of chapters. It took me a awhile to figure out how they would appear in this no zombies AU. Also, Carl's strange moods and why he likes Beth are finally explained. I'm interested to hear your reactions.

**Warnings:** Sex, slight alluding to domestic abuse

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Beth started her guitar lessons with Carl. Rick usually had Carl one night during the week (as well as every other weekend) and that was the night they had their lesson. She started Carl off with the basics, she taught him to name the strings, read music, and play basic chords on her acoustic. This particular week, after a forty-five minute lesson, she stayed to eat pizza with Carl and Rick. Carl was slowly becoming sullen again, like he had been when Beth first met him. Beth wondered if it was because he hadn't been able to spend much time with his dad or if his mother wasn't given him the attention he needed.

Beth, of course, tried her best to keep Carl in a conversation. "Did you hear that there are leopard cubs at the zoo?" Beth asked while nibbling on a slice of pepperoni pizza.

"That's cool." Carl nodded but Beth could tell he was giving his food more attention than he was this conversation.

"That's one of the few things I miss about Atlanta, the zoo, I used to go all the time to see the Pandas."

"Yeah, they're cool."

"Two of the Atlanta Zoo pandas are being sent to China at the end of the month. Isn't that sad?"

"That's cool." Beth stared at Carl for a long moment before Carl realized what he said. "Um… that's not cool?"

"I haven't been to the zoo since I was in high school," Rick mused as he joined the conversation.

"You haven't taken Carl?" Beth asked curiously.

Carl shook his head, "I've only been once and it was for a school field trip."

Beth pouted as she responded, "That's the worst! Don't they make you fill out worksheets or do homework or something?"

"Yeah," Carl shrugged. "I liked the tigers though, we got to see them get fed raw meat. It was cool." Carl's mouth was almost turned up in a smile.

"Well, we should go sometime before you go back to school. Rick?"

"Um, if that's something Carl wants to do, sure," Rick agreed.

"My membership is still good for a few more months, we can get discounted tickets." When Beth moved to Atlanta her mother started buying her a zoo membership every year for Christmas. Annette thought that it would help Beth if she was feeling homesick for the farm. It didn't help with homesickness, but it had been a good place for Beth to go to de-stress or if she was feeling down.

"Can I bring a friend?" Carl asked.

"Sure, one friend. I'll check with their parents. Who do you want to bring?" Rick agreed.

"Well, what about Sophia Peletier?" Rick was silent for a moment and Beth wondered why the name sounded familiar before she remembered Ed Peletier had a daughter that witnessed her mother nearly being beaten to death. Luckily for his wife and daughter, Ed's arrest was still holding despite Shane's violent actions.

"Sophia Peletier? I wasn't aware you two were friends." Rick spoke is a careful tone.

Carl shrugged, "Sorta. We worked on a project together before school ended. I saw her at the library a couple days ago when I was checking out the new Batman comic and she seemed really sad. I think she could use some cheering up, and girls love animals, right Beth?"

"Well, I know I do," Beth agreed hesitantly. "It's hard to be sad when you see baby leopards."

"If you're sure you don't want to bring any of your other friends, like Louis Morales or Duane Jones?" Rick asked again carefully.

"I'm sure," Carl nodded.

"Alright, I'll talk to her mom," Rick agreed. Beth wondered if Carol was out of the hospital and if she wasn't, who Sophia was staying with.

"Okay," Carl smiled. Beth smiled in return. It was the first smile of the day from Carl and she could see Rick's shoulders ease at the sight of it.

* * *

Rick didn't get very many mornings to sleep in between being a cop and a dad so he didn't learn that Beth was on the pill until one lazy Thursday morning, two days before their anticipated zoo trip.

Beth was curled up against Rick when the alarm on her cellphone went off reminding her to take a pill. She sleepily rolled over reaching for her phone to shut off the alarm and then began pawing through clothes in her canvas bag that she left next to the bed for the pink plastic pill case.

"Beth?" Rick's voice was rough with sleep as he curiously blinked over at her.

Beth, with the pink case firmly in hand, froze at Rick's voice. "Oh, no! This is supposed to be a surprise! For your birthday!" Her sleep fogged brain cleared as she looked over at a perplexed Rick. Rick was normally out of bed by the time Beth needed to take a pill. Today he was working an double overnight shift.

"What?" His eyes traveled from hers to the case in her hand. "Is that… Did you go on the pill? For me?"

"I went on the pill for _me_, but you mostly benefit," Beth responded mischievously. "I was going to surprise and seduce you on your birthday."

Rick pounced.

Beth squealed as Rick pushed her back onto the bed and quickly had her tank top pushed up and a nipple in his mouth before Beth could acknowledge Rick's movements. "Rick, pause, I have to take a pill," Beth laughed as Rick eagerly divested her of the tank top she had slept in.

"Right," Rick nodded and as he sat back to give Beth some breathing room he dragged her panties down her legs with a smirk.

"We still need to use a condom for another week," Beth told him as she pushed a tiny pill out of the packet and swallowed it dry.

"I don't think I've looked forward so much to a birthday since I turned twenty-one," Rick said in a low voice as he inched his way back up Beth's body pressing light kisses against her knee cap, inside her thighs and then stopping at her pelvis. Beth's breath hitched as Rick looked up at her, eyes full of want. He kept eye contact as he moved back between her legs and Beth let her thighs fall open. Beth watched, bated breath, as Rick parted her folds and then stroked her with his tongue. Beth's head fell back into the pillows and let out a long, loud moan and her hands sank into Rick's curls. Rick chuckled low in his throat and the vibrations sent a wave of pleasure up her core. Rick seems determined then, he took her clit into his mouth, sucking and licking at her relentlessly, and it wasn't long before Beth spasms beneath him, her hips bucking, shaking as she peaked and let out a strangled cry.

Rick stretched across the bed, reaching for a condom and mumbling something about not needing to pick up another box anymore and Beth giggled at him. She lies in her sated haze, watching Rick roll on the condom and then he was back between her legs. He entered slowly, Beth closed her eyes and 'hmmm'-ed in lazy pleasure at the feeling of Rick pushing in. Morning sex was quickly becoming her favorite way to wake up. Rick was soon buried to the hilt and left a trail of wet kisses across her chest before shifting back and maneuvering Beth's legs, he pushed her legs together and then down onto her chest leaving her at a different angle. Beth gasped at the unexpected sensation and Rick quickly worked into a steady rhythm.

Beth's second orgasm surprised her. She was so relaxed and concentrating on the feeling of Rick sliding in and out that when she peaked it was totally unexpected. Rick finished a moment later, collapsing on the bed beside her. He disposed of the condom and as soon as he settled back into the sheets Beth rolled into his side and happily wrapped an arm around his waist. "Not bad for an old guy?" Rick asked breathlessly.

Beth 'hmmm'-ed in agreement. Not bad at all. If that as how excited Rick got just at the idea of not needing a condom, Beth couldn't wait to see his enthusiasm next week.

* * *

Sophia was a quiet girl. She had thanked both Rick and Beth for letting her come along to the zoo when they picked her up from her cousin's house (where she and her mother where temporarily staying) and hadn't spoken more than a couple of words since. It had made the ride to the zoo a bit awkward between Sophia's shyness and Carl's reemerged unresponsiveness. It was like pulling teeth to get either of them to talk. Beth did manage to learn that this was Sophia's first trip to the zoo, apparently she hadn't been allowed to go on the field trip when Carl's class had gone. Beth didn't ask why, she didn't want to make Sophia answer if it had something to do with her incarcerated father.

Luckily, after the nearly two hour drive to Atlanta both kids perked up once they were actually at the zoo. Carl wanted to check out all the reptiles and amphibians, so they spent a long time looking at snakes, tropical frogs, and alligators. Beth then insisted they all check out the pandas and say good bye to the two that were being shipped off to China. After the pandas, Sophia finally became more talkative and admitted that she loved the big cats so they then spent a long time with the feline predators. They were watching the tigers stalk around in their enclosure when Rick offered to buy some snacks, and Rick left Beth with Carl and Sophia while he went to buy a couple of soft pretzels.

"So Beth, are you gonna marry my dad?" Carl asked suddenly and turned to face Beth.

"What?" Beth's head whirled at the non sequitur. Where the hell had that question come from? They had just been talking about white tigers versus orange tigers.

"He seems to really like you, and you like him?" Carl continued to ask.

"Yeah, I like your dad a lot." Beth replied. This conversation was making her nervous as she had no idea where Carl was going with his line of questioning. What kid asked their dad's girlfriend this? Sophia was on Carl's other side staring at the tigers not paying attention to them.

"So, are you gonna get married then?"

"Maybe someday in the future, but we haven't been together for very long yet." Beth's heart rate sped up as she thought about marrying Rick. This wasn't the first time she'd thought of it, hell, on their first date she had thought of it while they were out shopping for Rick's kitchen. "Carl, why are you asking?"

Carl finally looked up at her and made eye contact. "When they were deciding custody they asked me who I wanted to live with and I said my dad, but they said his job was too unreliable, that I couldn't stay with him full-time. But if you guys got married then maybe I could live with dad."

"Oh!" Beth exclaimed. Apparently she hadn't really thought about marrying Rick through well enough as she had never thought of becoming a stepmother before. A stepmother to a teenager when she was barely out of that decade herself.

"My mom… she doesn't really want me. All she does is sign me up for sports or activities or church groups so that I'm out of the way. She doesn't want me but she doesn't want my dad to have me either. It sucks." Beth's theory about Carl's mood swings were confirmed, but Beth felt awful. Carl felt like his mother didn't want him? Surely that wasn't true. Lori wasn't winning Mom of the Year awards, but she loved her son, right?

"You should marry Mr. Grimes. He's nice. And there aren't a lot of nice people out there," Sophia spoke up quietly from Carl's other side. She finally looked up at Beth with a melancholy expression on her face and Beth's heartstrings tugged at Sophia's words. Beth couldn't imagine growing up in a home like Sophia's.

"So Beth, are you gonna marry my dad?" Carl asked again impatiently.

Beth was saved from answered Carl's relentless questioning by Rick's arrival with an arm full of hot pretzels and cool beverages. Carl gave Beth a look that said 'I'm not forgetting this' but he didn't say anything in front of his dad, thankfully.

So Beth watched as Rick handed a pretzel to Carl for him and Sophia to split and a lemonade for each before turning to Beth. Rick gave her a grin as he handed over a pretzel to her. Beth suspected he was having just as much fun looking at the animals as the two kids were. His blue eyes were full of a youthful energy and Beth adored him. Who wouldn't want to marry Rick Grimes? Or, better yet, who would want to divorce him?

* * *

Despite the oppressive humidity and heat combination of August, the zoo was crowded. Beth was wearing a chambray romper (the shorts were loose but very short, she knew that when Rick wasn't looking at animals he was checking out her legs) and flip flops, with her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She knew she looked cute in an I'm-prepared-to-be-hot-and-sweaty kind of way, but she would have preferred something cuter when she ran into Zach, especially since she was already overwhelmed after the awkward conversation with Carl.

She didn't even notice Zach until he called her name. She and Sophia had stopped in a bathroom near the pachyderm house and as they exited Beth was scanning the crowd that was watching the hippos cool off in the water for Rick when she walked right past him. "Beth!" His familiar voice called from only three feet away.

Beth stopped, startled, and Sophia stopped with her. "Zach, hey!" Beth greeted.

Zach still had his messy, boy band hair. He was wearing baggy shorts, a striped tank top, and big, '80s style raybans, he looked like a frat boy and Beth spent a brief moment wondering how she used to be attracted to that look. Rick was a country guy through and through. If he wasn't in his uniform (or naked) he was in jeans. Today, even in the sweltering heat and humidity, Rick was wearing tight jeans, boots and a snug T-shirt.

"It's good to see you! How are you? I heard you moved out of the city." Zach moved in a step closer and Beth hoped he didn't want to hug her or something.

"I'm good. I did move, out to King County with my cousin Lacey."

"King County? Never heard of it," Zach snorted. Beth rolled her eyes. Zach had met Lacey once before and pulled the same shtick then. Zach was a bit of a snob when it came to cities versus rural areas.

"He'd get beat up if he came to visit you. Especially if the Dixons are in town," Sophia whispered to Beth but it was loud enough for Zach to hear.

"Beat up? I'm tougher than I look. Now who's this cutie?" Zach grinned down at Sophia, who took an uncertain step into Beth's side.

Beth rested her arm around Sophia's shoulders to reassure Sophia that nothing would happen. "This is Sophia, and this is her first trip to the zoo so we better get back to it." Beth's attempt to end the conversation apparently went over Zach's head.

"That's cool. Make sure you see the pandas before you go. I'm here with my—friend, she's in the bathroom." Beth noted Zach's stumble and wondered if he didn't want her to know if he had a new girlfriend. Their breakup was a long time ago, Beth really didn't care if he had moved on. Beth had long ago. But she did have the petty urge to show Rick off, to show Zach that she was doing better than fine.

"We saw the pandas already." Beth replied.

"Of course, they're your favorite… You look good Beth, something… something' different." Zach studied her intently.

Beth blushed as her thoughts immediately went to Rick. They hadn't had sex since Thursday morning but could Zach somehow tell she was no longer a virgin? Beth's refusal to have sex with Zach had been one of the main factors in their breakup.

"She has a boyfriend." Sophia told Zach is a typical bratty tone with an accompanying eye roll that only a preteen could pull off. Beth was honestly proud to see Sophia do something so normal for kids her age and she grinned down at the small blonde girl.

"Yeah?" Zach's gaze turned to a slight frown. "You here with him?"

"Yup. Well, we better get back, I don't want Sophia to miss anything." Beth took a few steps back and scanned the crowd again for Rick. She could see his lean figure leaning against the fence facing the hippos with Carl by his side. "So, it was good to see you." Beth finished with a little wave.

"Well, call me if you're ever back in the city. Maybe we can hang out or something." Zach also waved.

"Sure," Beth nodded even though she knew she wouldn't.

She could feel Zach watching her as she walked through the crowd towards Rick. Beth touched Rick's shoulder as she stepped up behind him, Rick turned to face Beth and gave her a welcoming grin, a grin that made her heart beat faster and her knees weak and Beth pulled Rick down for a kiss. Beth purposely deepened it, opening her mouth and inviting Rick's tongue into her.

"Ugh, gross, Dad, we're in public," Carl voice caused Rick to pull back and laugh down at his son.

Beth shot a look over her shoulder to see if Zach saw. He did. Beth turned back to Rick with a victorious smile. Sophia was looking up at her with an eyebrow raised. Beth shrugged her shoulders to say 'what of it?' and Sophia giggled.

"Heaven forbid we embarrass poor Carl in front of all these people he doesn't know." Rick said with a grin, completely oblivious to Beth and Sophia's exchange.

"_Daaaad_," Carl whined, but he had a smile on his face and he gave Beth a look of 'ah ha!' and Beth wondered if Carl was taking that kiss as an answer to obtrusive Carl's question. Whoops?

"C'mon, let's go look at the elephants. It should be feeding time." Beth urged the group away before Carl could say something potentially embarrassing like, 'so Dad, Beth says you're gonna get married.'

Instead Carl and Sophia happily nodded and Rick pulled her into his side and followed his son with his arm around Beth's shoulders.

* * *

**A/N: ** So the next chapter I don't have much written for it yet, unlike most of the other chapters (so far it only has 240 words, as opposed to Chapter 10 which has 900 words and Chapter 11 has 1600 words thus far). So my next chapter may take longer than my average posting speed depending on my inspiration over the week.

Review Please!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** This chapter did not want to be written. This was actually supposed to be two separate chapters but I didn't have it in me to write two separate fluffy, happy chapters. So instead you get one slightly longer chapter. About a month occurs in the chapter (I purposely try to be vague on how much time has passed, so that no one is like, um, aren't they moving too fast?) Also, two big relationship milestones in this chapter! Next chapter we get back to drama, drama, drama.

Also, I've decided to give this tumblr thing a whirl (mostly to make stalking other tumblrs easier) so come follow me! I'll be posting story related stuff :) prettyracing . tumblr . com (remove spaces!)

**Warnings:** Lots of sex, possible tense switching (seriously, for some reason I kept writing in present tense. I think I fixed it all)

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Beth fretted as Rick's birthday approached. She wanted to get him an actual present but had no idea what to get him. Asking for advice was no help. Amy suggested Beth show up at Rick's place wearing only sexy lingerie and a coat but Beth didn't think she was confident enough for that. Dale suggested fishing equipment but she didn't want to risk being dragged along on a fishing trip. T-Dog suggested football tickets for a Falcons game, which was a good idea but way out of Beth's price range. Beth even called her brother, who suggested a six pack of a fancy microbrew and a chastity belt.

She eventually settled on a cookbook titled "A Man, a Can, a Plan" that Beth found amusing (she also bought new underwear, it was hardly the sexy lingerie from Victoria's Secret that Amy suggested but they were cute and from Target).

Rick, of course, worked on his birthday, but he was off at six. It wasn't one of Rick's nights with Carl but Lori did allow him to pick up Carl for dinner. So Rick, Beth and Carl met up with Shane and the Jones family at the roadhouse restaurant for dinner to celebrate Rick's birthday.

Beth hadn't met Morgan Jones yet, nor his wife Jenny or son Duane. She had heard plenty about Duane, who was Carl's age and his best friend. Beth knew that Jenny and Lori were friends so initially she was nervous that Jenny would be cold but she surprised Beth by being very pleasant. Jenny was a teacher at the elementary school and they talked about how much Jenny liked her job. Jenny was teaching second grade and adored her students and regaled Beth with a few amusing stories about a few of her students.

The most entertaining part of dinner was when Shane insisted Rick get the full birthday treatment from the staff. They brought out a saddle that Shane all but manhandled Rick into, and a group of seven waitresses sang to Rick (loudly and badly) before giving him a birthday sundae. Rick smiled through it all good-naturedly and he let Duane and Carl split the sundae.

Overall the night was a lot of fun, Shane and Morgan told plenty of old man jokes, which Rick was quick to point out that Morgan was older than Rick by a few years. "Of course Rick, how do you think I know?" Morgan replied with a laugh. Never once did Beth feel awkward in the group and Carl was in a good mood talking animatedly with Duane most of the time. They spent just a little over two hours at the restaurant.

As they were all saying good-bye Jenny gave Beth a warm hug which Beth gratefully returned. "I don't think I've even seen Rick smile as much as I've seen tonight while looking at you. I'm glad to see him happy again." Jenny told her in a low tone and a smile while Morgan clapped Rick on the back and Shane laughed loudly about something.

Beth blushed happily but wasn't sure how to respond to Jenny's compliment. Luckily Rick saved Beth from replying by pulling Jenny into a hug and then Morgan gave Beth a one-armed hug/pat combination. Next they said good-bye to Shane and then Beth and Carl were following Rick to his truck. They then dropped Carl off back at Lori's house and Carl went off in a good mood.

Beth gave Rick the cookbook when they were back at his place. It was small enough that it had been in her purse all night. It was neatly wrapped in Christmas Disney princess wrapping paper, the only wrapping paper to be found in her house. The cookbook was small, about the size of a book made for toddlers with the same thick cardboard-like paper those books used. Apparently the publishers of the cookbook didn't think the owner of the book would be able to handle a more complicated book. They were probably right.

"Beth, you didn't have to get me a present," Rick exclaimed as Beth handed over the gift.

"Oh this is necessary, trust me," Beth teased as Rick began to rip open the paper. They were still standing near the front door in the entrance to the kitchen.

Rick laughed as he read the cover and then flipped open the book. "Oh look, pictures of all the ingredients so even I can't mess it up," he grinned.

Rick set the cookbook down on the counter in the kitchen and then turned back to Beth. He was smiling a big, eye crinkling, teeth showing grin that made Beth's knees weak and her heart pound. The first time she saw that smile she had wanted to kiss him even though she had only known him a few days. Now though, she could kiss him whenever she wanted. She stepped close, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss. Rick responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him. The kiss was greedy, Rick quickly parted her lips with his tongue and all but devoured her. Beth whimpered into Rick's mouth as his hands began to seek skin on skin contact. His hands were pulling up her shirt and running along her smooth skin on her lower back.

Beth pulled back and grinned, "ready for your other present?"

"Only if you're sure, if you're not ready for that it's okay. I still have a few condoms left," Rick's voice was low and steady. Beth could see in his eyes that he wasn't lying. If Beth told him she wasn't comfortable with this, then he wouldn't insist. Noble Rick.

"I want to. With you." Beth reassured him.

Beth was the one to lead them to the bedroom. She pushed Rick to sit on the edge of the bed and stripped teasingly out of the tank top and skirt she was wearing to reveal a black bra edged with a light pink lace and matching boy short underwear. Rick reached for her but instead Beth unbuttoned Rick's shirt and Rick eagerly ditched his jeans to help. Beth then climbed into Rick's lap and kissed him hard before pushing him back to lie flat on the bed.

Straddling Rick's thighs and leaning over Rick to trail kisses along his jawline, Beth felt bold. And giddy. She wanted to try something different. She wanted to be in control. She pulled away from Rick's lips, Rick tried to follow her but Beth shook her head coyly and Rick looked up at her questioningly.

She pulled down Rick's boxers slowly, kissing his revealed skin. Rick's cock began to harden as she kisses a trail along his pelvic bone and her fingers brush ever so lightly along his shaft. She looked up to see Rick watching her intently, like he didn't believe what she was about to do. Rick has never asked for this, or even hinted, unlike Zach. Zach had often tried to pull the ol' 'try to lead a girl's head to his crotch' trick and it usually ended with Beth offended and Zach mad. Beth had only given in once and she hated it, Zach had been too eager and she too clueless and she had refused to do it ever again. Rick though, he'd gone down on her a number of times and never once asked for reciprocation. And Beth was willing to give this another shot, only for Rick.

She kept eye contact with Rick as she moved in closer. She took Rick's heavy cock in hand, used two fingers to encircle him, then licked a line from root to tip with her fingers following. Rick fell back moaning and grasped the sheets on either side of him tightly. Beth then licked around his tip before taking the head completely into her mouth and Rick shouted, unable to contain himself. She could see his struggle to keep from grabbing her, the sheets tight in his fists and the veins in his arms were standing to attention. Beth then ever so slowly started to go down, trying to take in as much as possible. She didn't make it far, only about half way down so she moved her fingers to meet her lips and then she slowly pulled back dragging her tongue along the pulsing vein along his shaft. Rick hissed in response.

Beth didn't try for long, she swallowed down a few more times, making it a tiny bit further with each try. Rick was fully hard and starting to leak pre-cum when Beth sat up. She was ready, just giving Rick pleasure was enough to get her excited with anticipation. Rick pulled Beth down for a kiss, Beth protested at first, her mouth had just been on his cock, but Rick didn't care and his kiss was sloppy but eager. Rick's hands trailed down her back, stopping to unhook her bra and then down to pull off her panties. Beth sat up to finish taking them off. She didn't want to give up her control over Rick just yet. She paused to stare down at Rick with a demure smile. "Don't move," Beth ordered quietly.

Rick nodded, his hands flexed against her waist and Beth moved his hands slightly lower to help her keep her balance. Rick's pupils were so blown that Beth could hardly see the blue but Beth could clearly read his want. Beth smiled again as she scooted back a bit, positioning herself above Rick's hard flesh.

Beth was surprised to feel a difference as she slowly sank down on Rick. Rick was warm, and it felt less invasive, more like coming home. She could tell Rick also felt a difference, he let out a low, long hiss and his grip on her hips tightened and spasmed. Beth sank all the way to the hilt and then stopped. She opened her eyes, unaware that they had fallen shut, to look down at Rick. His gaze was heavy as he looked up at her, he looked at her like she was the center of his world.

In that moment, Beth felt a keen sense of power over Rick. Beth's hands were braced against Rick's abdomen and his warm, callused hands still had a firm grip on her hips. Beth didn't move, just took a moment to admire Rick below her, his blue eyes were dark with desire and his muscles straining against the urge to move. Rick wasn't young, and his body showed it. His body wasn't soft, it was hard lines with lean muscles and tight abs. His hands were rough and callused with years of hard work. He had lines around his eyes, eyes that used to have a world weary look. His hair was still clear of grey but his stubble and chest hair were beginning to salt and pepper. But to Beth he was perfect. She didn't think she could ever go back to a soft-faced boy with smooth hands that was her own age. But at the same time, she didn't think other older men were as attractive as Rick. Shane did nothing for her, nor did most of the older clientele at the bar. It was just Rick.

"Beth, you are so beautiful," Rick's voice was low and full of need. Beth felt herself flush as Rick's compliment. Beth had only been called beautiful by her family, never by a man (she wasn't counting 'pretty' or 'hot'), not until she started dating Rick and it never failed to take her breath away whenever he called her beautiful. Maybe it was because of the look in his eyes when he said it. It was more than just a compliment when he said it, the look in his eyes made Beth's insides twist up and she just wanted to shout to the world how much she loved this man.

She didn't though, she was still afraid to be the first to say it and chance scaring Rick away. So instead she began to move, slowly she rocked backwards and forwards. Rick moaned low and his fingers dug harder into her flesh. Still he didn't move, still following Beth's order. Beth worked herself into a steady rhythm at an angle where her clit was stimulated with every rock of her hips. She tried to hold herself off once she felt herself getting close, but she failed and collapsed onto Rick as her orgasm rocked through her. Rick had her on her back in a flash, spreading her thighs wide and leaning over her and taking her mouth into a fierce, claiming kiss. His thrusts were frenzied, he only lasted another minute before collapsing himself and Beth held him against her chest in bliss.

"Happy Birthday," Beth mumbled content and tired.

* * *

The next few weeks were very hectic for both Beth and Rick. Beth enrolled at Linden County's community college for twelve credits, which was four classes: a basic composition class, a basic math module, a world history class (prehistory to 1500 AD) and introduction to music class. Her daddy agreed to pay for half of her tuition. He would have paid all of it if Beth had agreed to move back to the farm and go to school closer to home but Beth refused.

Apparently her mother had begun to mention that Beth was in a relationship, but so far her mother had left out Rick's exact age, marital status and son so all Hershel knew for sure was that Beth was dating a deputy sheriff and that he was older than Beth. Even with his limited knowledge Hershel was still unhappy with the relationship, especially when Beth named Rick the main reason she was turning down his deal to pay for school. She also didn't want to move back in with her parents after living on her own for the past three years.

Beth worked her class schedule so she had three classes Tuesdays and Thursdays and then one class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at nine in the morning. Beth quickly regretted that decision, after only a week of classes, as it was her composition class and it was full of clueless eighteen year olds, early in the morning and it was boring writing. Beth had always enjoyed writing, she wrote her own lyrics, poems, and occasional short stories but this was all academic writing and Beth immediately disliked the class.

Rick's weeks were hectic because of Shane. Shane was temporarily suspended from the force while the district attorney and Ed Peletier's court appointed attorney worked on a plea deal. This meant Rick was working more (all of the deputies were) and Beth saw him more asleep than awake. She was still spending most of his Carl free nights at his place but Rick was getting home much later and not awake for very long until crashing and then getting up early to go back in.

Beth started making him casserole dishes to take into the station since he was eating two to three meals a day there and apparently her food was a big hit with Leon and Lamb. So Beth started to swing by the station to drop off additional food and baked goods for the entire station to enjoy. Her snickerdoodle cookies were the favorite so far. Rick then gave her a key to his apartment so she could cook and bake in a kitchen that she didn't have to share with three other girls.

It was normally a big milestone in a relationship, getting a key, but Rick was so casual about it. It was the second time Beth had stopped by the station, she had a basket full of blueberry muffins along with a sausage and rice casserole that Lambert demanded first bite of and Leon had hugged her in thanks before hustling after Lambert and the casserole. Rick was smiling down at her, it was a small smile but his eyes look at her like she was the only person in the room and he was oblivious to Diane cooing over the basket of muffins only a few feet away as he pressed the silver key into Beth's hand.

He insisted that Beth cook at his place, use his ingredients and cookware to make it easier on her. He also said it would be a good environment to study in since he was hardly home. Beth was speechless, staring at the key in her palm and then Linda called Rick away to approve some permits. Beth just stood in shock staring down at her key in her palm while Diane watched the exchange with a big grin on her face. Amy, queen of the gossip mill, knew about Beth having a key to Rick's place by her next shift. Beth hoped Rick wouldn't want to take it back after Shane finished his suspension.

Shane was spending a lot of his suspension with Carl, especially during the week leading up to Carl starting school again. Football practice had already started, and Shane was the one taking Carl to and from practice. He would drop by the station with Carl after practice so Carl could see his dad for a bit (as long as Rick wasn't out on a call) before taking Carl back to Lori's house.

Shane's suspension ended just in time for the second weekend of September. Ed Peletier was going to prison ten year sentence with the possibility of parole. Beth could tell Rick was irritated that the sentence wasn't longer but he didn't want to talk about it or Shane so Beth left the issue alone.

Rick was given the entire weekend off to recuperate after his massive overtime. Rick had, of course, clocked more overtime than the other deputies as he felt guilty and responsible over Shane's actions, which Beth thought was ridiculous. Shane was a thirty-five year old man, he was responsible for his own stupid actions.

Rick celebrated his long weekend off with a mini vacation and took Beth up to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Rick wasn't allowed to bring Carl because of a clause in his separation agreement with Lori (neither parent was allowed to take the child across state lines without thirty days' notice and a full itinerary) and Beth felt a bit guilty about being so ecstatic about an entire weekend with Rick, alone. Even though she had been spending most of her nights in Rick's bed they'd barely had sex since his birthday. Beth never thought she would be a girl that needed sex but she did. She was getting irritable and Amy even joked, one night while they were working, that she would put a call into the sheriff's department to request Rick sleep with his girlfriend after Beth had snapped at a pushy patron.

So Beth was very excited for a mini vacation to the beach with just Rick. Rick was hardly a beach guy, but he had found a good deal since it was after Labor Day and the tourist season was winding down and he wanted to get far away from King County and Shane Walsh for a few days. Beth researched plenty of non-beach activities to do outside of the bedroom, like Brookgreen Gardens. But she did plan to pack a couple of really cute swimsuits to entice Rick either to the pool or ocean.

The Friday of their long weekend Beth went to her morning class. She had told Rick she was completely comfortable ditching her composition class but Rick didn't want her to missing any more classes than she had to. She was already going to miss the following Monday as they wouldn't be back in Georgia until Monday afternoon.

So she caught a ride into campus with Susie and Rick was picking her up right after class and then they would head straight out. Beth's suitcase was already packed and at Rick's place but Beth spent the night in her own bed so that she wouldn't have to get up any earlier than necessary. Beth was finding adjusting back to an early morning schedule was not as easy as she anticipated. Beth clock watched during her class while doodling in the margins of her notes while her teacher droned on about the proper structure of a bibliography.

Rick was waiting for her when she exited the building. His truck was parked against the curb and Beth took a moment to admire Rick. He had trimmed his facial hair, it had been getting unruly the past few weeks and Rick had trimmed it back to stubble. Beth practically purred at the thought of Rick's stubble sliding against the sensitive parts of her skin and she happily climbed into Rick's truck and crawled along the bench to give to give him a kiss in lieu of a greeting.

The six hour drive took a little longer as Rick's route allowed for a stop in Pawley's Island, which was about a half hour south from Myrtle Beach. Rick took her to the Hammock Shops, a strange collection of eclectic shops based around the 'world famous' rope hammocks they made and sell. Beth adored the Christmas shop, as it was her favorite holiday. Rick's main purpose of the side trip was to stop in the fudge shop where he bought a few different types of fudge. Rick claimed some was for souvenirs for Carl and some of the guys at the station when Beth teased him about the great quantity he purchased. They didn't spend long at Pawley's Island, an hour tops, before they were back on the road heading for Myrtle Beach.

They reached Oceans One Resort right around six. They agreed to check-in, drop off their stuff, and then find some tiny, hole-in-the-wall seafood place that Rick and Shane used to go to back when they were both bachelors who had free time to spend their weekends partying.

Beth tried to be quick, her intention was change from her road trip outfit of oversized tee with leggings to into a sundress with a cardigan and then to be ready to go but after changing she glanced towards the balcony of the as-of-yet unexplored room and was quickly distracted.

Rick found her a few minutes later leaning on the railing of the room's balcony looking out over the water. Beth has lived in Georgia her entire life, but her daddy's farm was in western Georgia and the ocean was over four hours away so she rarely got to see it. There was a chilly breeze, they were seven stories up and the temperature was cooling to the low 60s, the sky was a washed out blue and where it met the sea the horizon was hazy and it was tough to tell where the sky ended and the ocean started. It was beautiful.

"Beth?" Rick asked curiously.

"Oh! Sorry," Beth turned and gave Rick a sheepish smile, "It's been a few years since I saw the ocean."

But Rick was looking at her with an intense gaze and Beth wondered what was wrong. She quickly looked over herself to make sure her dress didn't have something on it. She hadn't touched up her makeup since what she put on before class very early this morning so she wondered if it's smeared or something. "What's wrong, Rick?" Beth asked when his gaze doesn't waver.

"Oh, um, nothing," Rick then looked nervous and glanced out over the ocean.

As adorable as nervous Rick was Beth herself was becoming anxious, did something happen in the last few minutes? "Rick?" Beth turned to face him fully with a small frown.

Rick looked over at her again before stepping away from the railing and pulling her loosely into his arms. His hands were resting on her hips and he was looking down into her eyes. "You just looked really beautiful, and, well, it reminded me of—doesn't matter."

Beth was really confused now and just stared up at Rick in uncertainty. Rick fidgeted for a moment, still with his hands on her hips before coming to some sort of conclusion. He straightened up, looked at Beth with determination, and said, "Beth, I love you."

Beth wasn't aware that she attacked Rick until his back hit the glass door and Rick let out a startled 'umph!' that Beth swallowed as she kissed him hard. Rick recovered quickly, his hands find their way south down her back to cup her cheeks. Beth took it as a cue and lifted her legs up to wrap around Rick and he adjusted his grip to hold her steady against him. Beth then lost herself in kissing Rick. She was forceful, tongue barging into Rick's mouth and she angled her head to the side to allow easier access. The world spun around her as Rick moved them, he shifted her higher and then walked them back into the room and his show of strength only turned Beth on more.

She then found herself on her back on the bed with Rick crawling over her, and Beth's mind cleared from the ecstatic bright white light that caused her to jump Rick. "Rick," Beth gasped, she was already breathless from kissing. "Rick," she tries again and tugs on his curls to get his attention off her neck and onto her proper. Rick pulls away reluctantly and gives her a slight pout. "I love you too," she said with her cheeks flushing and her eyes sparkling.

They didn't make it out of the room for dinner.

* * *

Beth woke up to the sounds of waves. The balcony door was still wide open and the sun was shining brightly (and a bit evilly) into the room. She was spread across the bed, Rick's head was lying on her stomach with an arm curled around her hips, snoring. The sun was bright but that wasn't what woke her. She was _starving_.

Between rounds one and two last night they had snacked on some fudge but otherwise she hadn't eaten a meal since they stopped for lunch yesterday. She was comfortable and lethargic from the strenuous activities of the night and Rick was a solid weight on her stomach but she knew downstairs there was a complimentary breakfast buffet and that sounded divine.

"Rick," Beth tried to wake him up gently by running a hand through his hair. He groaned, moving his arm to cover his face. His shifting caused his stubble to tickle her lower stomach, she was definitely still naked and Rick was only inches away from the apex of her thighs. But she was hungry. "Bacon, Rick."

"Bacon? Where?" Rick's voice was gravelly and he didn't sound awake yet.

"No, I need some," she shook his shoulder a bit and he finally shifted enough to look up at her, blinking against the morning sun. "I'm starving," she gave him a slight pout.

"Oh god, me too," he replied. He propped himself up on his elbows and then leaned up for a kiss. It was sloppy and quick but Beth smiled at him anyway.

With him off of her stomach she rolled out of bed and stumbled a bit, her legs a bit weaker than she anticipated. Rick followed her, he was steadier on his legs, and started looking for clothes. Beth barely dressed herself, so eager she was for a quest for food. She wore a pair of beach shorts, flip flops, and a tight t-shirt. She didn't realize she wasn't wearing a bra until halfway through a biscuit sandwich that she had made herself (with extra bacon) when she wondered why Rick wouldn't stop staring at her chest. She blushed and tried to angle her arms over her nipples but still hold on to the sandwich and Rick chuckled at her.

"So, what do you want to do today?" She asked while she pretended she wasn't blushing bright red.

"Relax," he responded.

"Great, we'll go to Brookgreen Gardens, wander the sculpture garden, hiss at some alligators. Then we come back into town, play a round of pirate putt-putt golf, and then maybe go to dinner at that shack we were supposed to go to last night." Rick blinked at Beth as she mapped out their entire day. He looked like he might protest so Beth gave him her brightest smile.

He shook his head with a grin, "Alright, but tomorrow I want to see you wear that bikini I saw you pack."

"Deal," Beth nods in agreement.

* * *

Beth had a tiny notebook in her purse that she scribbled lyrics or poems into, she took it out while wandering through the gardens, inspired more by the Roman-Greco statues that the flora and fauna. Rick has wanted a relaxing day, so Beth resisted signing them up for the guided tour on a pontoon boat to look at alligators and osprey as well as the tour that covered the history of the plantation and the antebellum family.

They spend the morning and early afternoon at Brookgreen Gardens, they ate such a big breakfast that they only grab a snack at the café and Beth is armed with water bottles as they spend hours in the sun. After their time spent in the sculpture garden Beth has a strong urge to find a copy of the original Fantasia movie and watch the scenes with the centaurs and cherubs.

Beth had properly dressed herself (and showered) before they left the hotel for Brookgreen Gardens, she was wearing Capri leggings and a loose, tunic top and her hair is styled in a high bun. Even though she applied sunscreen before they left, the back of her neck started turning pink and Rick made them leave when he noticed.

Beth reapplied sunscreen back at the hotel and then dragged Rick back out to play putt-putt. The course was ridiculously pirate themed with a sunken ship and waterfall and Beth golfed terribly, Rick stopped keeping score after she putt a hole in nine. Her terrible game might have had to do with the fact that Rick could hardly keep his hands off of her. Beth was easily distracted by Rick helping her position her hips and back while she swung or she'd catch him staring at her and she'd think, _he loves me!_ and would hit the ball too hard in her excitement.

After golfing Beth let Rick relax in one of the lounge chairs on the balcony with a Longmire novel while she changed back into the dress she only wore for about ten minutes the night before. She also texted Maggie her news of Rick's 'I love you'. After a long, emoticon filled text conversation (Maggie was beyond thrilled), Beth and Rick head out for dinner.

Rick's seafood shack was still in business, Fish Camp, and they sit down to hushpuppies, fresh fish and shrimp fried, greasy and delicious. After dinner, they walk along the beach and get ice cream on the boardwalk.

Beth was pretty sure she has had the most perfect day, and it ended with Rick making love to her. Beth always thought that 'making love' was gushy, romance novel term for sex. She and Rick had plenty of very good sex but never before had she been inclined to label it 'making love', until that night. She could actually feel Rick's intense emotions in his touches and kisses. The previous night had been passion filled and frenzied, but this was slow and sweet, Rick was in no hurry for either of them to reach completion and would ease off whenever either of them felt too close. His thrusts were smooth, powerful, steady and when Rick finally let her cross the pleasure threshold she felt like she would shake into tiny pieces.

* * *

Sunday Rick got his 'relax' day, as promised, and Beth wore her pink and orange paisley bikini. Beth got to see Rick in swim trunks for the first time. Of course she had seen him naked plenty of times but this was outside and public. She was pretty sure she ogled Rick as much as he ogled her. Rick had a fierce farmer's tan on his arms and his chest was pale but Rick slathered on SPF 5 sunscreen and by early afternoon had the beginnings of a tan on his skin. Beth pouted at Rick's heritage, Beth reapplied sunscreen several times throughout the day and tried to stay under their rented umbrella but she still managed to burn by the end. Luckily it wasn't a bad burn, she knew from experience it would fade back to ridiculously pale in a day.

They spent the most of the day on the beach in lounge chairs. Rick continued to read his Longmire mystery novel and Beth alternated between reading for her history class and the latest in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy that she swiped from Lacey for the trip. For lunch they ate sandwiches and chips on the beach. Beth did manage to coax Rick into the ocean for awhile, which she immediately regretted when Rick dunked her under an oncoming wave and Beth spent the rest of their time in the ocean attempting to do the same. That night they pick up a pizza and Beth was content to stay in and cuddle with Rick.

They leave Myrtle Beach before the sun is fully up Monday morning. As they drive back to King County Beth felt like her life was perfect and nothing could go wrong. Her life in Atlanta seemed like a lifetime ago and Lori hardly seemed like a threat to her and Rick's relationship. Nothing could ruin her mood.

* * *

**A/N:** Nothing? Beth better knock on wood!

Let me know if something is terrible/glaringly wrong in this chapter, like I said it was a struggle to write. Also let me know what you thought of the big relationship moments!

Review please! :3


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** So, it looks like you all enjoyed the last chapter, all fluff and happiness and sex. Yeah. So. I'm eager to see how you all respond to this.

(On a side note, I hope you all have seen the Walking Dead season 5 preview! ***spoilers*** Full of BAMF!Rick and ... Beth in a creepy insane asylum? Looks like she jumped horror genres... Did anyone else think that?)

**Warnings:** mentions of abortion, language. (no sex?! Uh oh!)

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

"Hey T-Dog," Beth greeted the strongly built man in a cheerful tone. He was stocking the bar as Beth came in for her shift. Beth had been back from her trip with Rick for a little over a week now and her good mood had yet to dissipate. Amy complained only the day before that now Beth was too chipper and she wanted moody Beth back.

"Morning Beth," T-Dog nodded back as changed the spout on a new bottle of Wild Turkey. "I've got an insider's scoop for you."

Beth punched in and turned to face T-Dog with a curious smile on her face. "Insider's scoop? On what?"

"You know I work part-time at the church, right?" Beth nodded in response. "Well, they are looking for a new assistant to the Music Director. I think you'd be perfect for the job."

"Assistant to the Music Director! You think I'm qualified?" Beth asked eagerly. Music Director positions usually required a bachelor's degree but she wasn't familiar with what an Assistant Music Director qualifications would be.

"Well, the title is a fancy way of saying piano player for the choir, there are other duties involved but the schedule is pretty flexible and I bet they'd be willing to work with your school schedule."

"That sounds amazing! Thank you so much T-Dog! How do I apply?" Beth's bright smile caused T-Dog to grin back.

"Just head into the office and speak with Jacqui, the main office coordinator. She'll set you up for an interview. I told her to expect you contacting her in the next few days." Beth let out a happy laugh and gave T-Dog a squeezing hug, or as much as she could squeeze a man three times her size built like a linebacker. T-Dog patted her head as she pulled away.

"No, T-Dog, you didn't not just give her reason to be even more annoyingly happy, did you?" Rachel pouted as she came to stand beside her roommate.

"Sorry girl, but I'm off in twenty so I don't have to deal with it," T-Dog grinned.

"C'mon, T-Dog, this doesn't end here, I live with her!" Rachel whined but wrapped her arm around Beth's shoulders to show her support.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Beth tried to huff but she couldn't quite get the grin off her face. "Plus, I'm hardly ever home."

"It's true, my girl is gettin' some regularly again. I should be asking you what you know about Rick's little brother." Rachel nudged her and winked. Beth blushed and laughed in response.

True to Rachel's prediction, Beth was full of excited energy the rest of the day. And that night Beth pestered Rick for all the information he had about the people that worked at the church. He had stopped attending when he and Lori separated but he still knew Pastor Gabriel. Apparently Lori was still pretty involved with the church and still volunteered often and had Carl attending youth groups. Rick gave her all the information he had, he was happy to help Beth and spent his evening watching his bubbly girlfriend with a content grin. Beth did feel a bit guilty that she herself didn't regularly attend church anymore, she had while she was in Atlanta. But between working Sundays and Rick not being very religious she had let church fall by the wayside.

Beth wore a knee length dress with a cardigan to meet Jacqui. She was friendly in a no nonsense way, but they bonded over both of them leaving Atlanta. She told Beth how she used to work in city planning in the city but moved out to the country a few years ago to get away from the congested city. She set up an interview for Beth with Pastor Gabriel and the music director for the following Monday.

The rest of the week passed both slowly and quickly at the same time. Carl was sullen again this week, but he seemed less so when Beth was around. Carl was coming along with guitar lessons and was eager to learn real songs so Beth began teaching him how to play Brown Eyed Girl, by Van Morrison. It was a relatively easy song to pick up and it enforced the chords that Beth was already instructing him on. Carl playfully whined about how old the song was but dutifully followed all of Beth's instructions regardless. Beth was really starting to enjoy hanging out with Carl. In the beginning it had been all about connecting with Carl to further her relationship with Rick but now Beth was beginning to genuinely like Carl, even with his sullen teenage mood swings.

* * *

Rick and Lori had their first fight since the pact not long after the vacation to the beach. Beth didn't consider it a breaking of the pact since Lori seemed angrier about Rick taking an actual vacation when he hadn't in the last few years of their marriage than Beth being involved with said vacation. And then the argument somehow devolved into Lori defending Shane's actions against Ed Peletier, which just seemed crazy to Beth.

Rick had the argument over the phone with Lori. It had started as Lori asking Rick if he would be able to pick Carl up from a football practice later in the week and Lori had apparently made a snide comment about Rick going on the trip. Beth hadn't been paying attention to Rick's argument, she was watching Reign as she did her math homework while Rick was pacing in the kitchen talking to Lori on his cell.

Beth was drawn to Rick's conversation when Rick's sharp tone said "I worked three weeks of eighty hour weeks, not counting on-call hours, so yeah, I took a vacation. I never worked those kinds of hours while we were together because you would have thrown a fit."

Beth watched in fascination as Rick's muscles clenched and he struggled to keep his voice calm and his anger out of his voice. Lori wasn't. Beth couldn't hear what she was saying but she could hear Lori's loud, angry tone clearly through the phone even though Rick was across the apartment.

The argument ended with "Shane's a cop, his actions aren't justifiable, Lori, the only reason Ed's in jail is because he couldn't afford a decent defense attorney!" And then Rick hung up on Lori. He collapsed onto the couch and Beth dropped her math book over the arm of the couch so she could pull Rick into her arms and soothe his frustration. Beth should have known that Lori's anger wouldn't dissipate as quickly as Rick's did. Beth should have expected Lori to take her anger with Rick out on Beth. But Beth always assumed the best of people.

* * *

"I'm sorry Ms. Greene, we will be going with another candidate." Pastor Gabriel told her with a sorrowful expression.

Beth was shocked. Her interview had gone so well with the pastor and music director, they had practically given her the job on Monday when she left. Today, she had been under the impression she was attending a second interview to negotiate pay and hours. But now, all of the sudden, they were 'going with another candidate?' What happened? "Can I ask why you passed on me?" Beth asked timidly.

"There was some… concern about your relationship with Deputy Grimes and some of our congregation is … uncomfortable with you." Pastor Gabriel looked uncomfortable just saying the sentence.

Beth was speechless. What the hell was wrong with her relationship with Rick? She met him after his divorce, and sure, she was younger than him but she was a legal, consenting adult as was Rick. There was nothing wrong their relationship! But Beth didn't vocalize her anger and frustration, she thanked Pastor Gabriel for his consideration and slowly walked out of his office feeling completely blindsided.

As she glumly walked down the hall towards the exit a voice saying her name caught her attention. It was coming from an office up ahead, and it was clearly someone talking about her not expecting her to overhear them.

"I'm so glad that Pastor Gabriel is not hiring that Beth Greene girl."

"Why isn't he? She was definitely the most talented." Beth recognized the second voice as Jacqui and Beth felt a bit betrayed. Hadn't they bonded over their shared experiences in Atlanta?

"She's dating Rick Grimes."

"Oh! That's the girl? I heard he was dating a younger woman but wow, how old is she? Nineteen? Twenty?"

"Twenty-one."

"Wow. He's not hiring her because of their relationship?" Jacqui at least had the decency to sound disproving of the idea.

"Well, Lori Grimes somehow found out that Beth interviewed for the job. She stopped in yesterday to talk to the Pastor, said if he hired Rick's girlfriend Lori would feel too uncomfortable to attend Church or participate in the several fundraisers and activities she's involved in. She said many of her friends might feel too uncomfortable as well."

"Oh my!"

Beth stopped listening to the conversation as her anger came surging to the surface. Lori had gone back on her word. She had sworn to Beth that she would tolerate her relationship with Rick but now she was sabotaging Beth's job opportunities?

Beth stormed past the gossiping women, who didn't seem to notice her, and out of the church. She had never felt so angry before. She had never done anything to Lori, she always acted civilly around her, she had never said anything negative about her to Carl, or Rick, and tried to stay neutral whenever anyone talked about Lori. And here Lori was, stabbing her in the back. Well, if Lori was going to renege on their agreement, then so would Beth.

"Beth!" Beth looked up to see Rick and Shane leaning against their patrol car, which was parked next to her car on the street in front of the church. Rick was smiling, probably waiting to congratulate her on her new job and Shane looked bored.

Beth marched over to them, her expression must have shown how upset she was because Rick straightened up with a frown, "What's wrong?"

"Lori had an abortion back in August." Silence greeted her, Rick looked confused and Shane looked alarmed. "It was at the Planned Parenthood over in Lawrenceville and I ran into her there and she made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone."

"You sure? You absolutely sure?" Shane asked in a low, angry voice. Rick looked at his friend in surprise at his reaction.

Beth's anger began to dissipate and regret was beginning to creep up on her. "Yes, I'm sure. She took the abortion pill, I heard her talking to a nurse about it."

Shane punched the hood of the patrol car in response.

"Shane, what the—"

Shane interrupted Rick by demanding, "Did she say who the father was?" Shane's face was dark.

"No, I didn't ask," Beth shook her head. She had wondered a few times who it was and given Shane's near violent reaction she was pretty sure this was the answer. And it made sense, in a weird, twisted way, there was evidence that Shane often spoke with Lori about Rick and Beth, and Shane pursued Andrea, a former girlfriend of Rick's. Beth then wondered if it had been Shane to tell Lori about Beth's interview at the church.

"Beth, what's going on?" Rick asked while keeping an eye on Shane, who was now pacing angrily and muttering to himself.

"Lori convinced Pastor Gabriel not to hire me," Beth began slowly, "After I saw her at the Clinic, she had promised that if I didn't tell anyone about her abortion then she would be civil to me and about us. And then she goes and threatens the pastor that if he hires me she and her friends would stop attending church and fundraisers and … and…" Beth trailed off. It seemed petty and vengeful to her now. Her momma would have been appalled at her behavior. Beth had been hurt by Lori's actions but she should have calmed down before taking any action, maybe confronted Lori instead, she shouldn't have told Rick and Shane. Not like this.

"Rick, I'm taking the car," Shane's strained voice cut through Beth's swirl of dread and shame.

"Like hell you are, you need to calm down before you do something stupid," Rick voice was full of anger. "Maybe explain why you're sleeping with my ex-wife."

Shane's eyes widened as he took in Rick's anger but he didn't back down. Beth took a step back from them. She was confident that Rick wouldn't start a fight with Shane, but if Shane threw a punch Rick would retaliate. "Look, man, Lori's had a tough time with the divorce-"

"_Lori's_ had a tough time?" Rick scoffed, "you're my best friend, jackass, why did you sleep with my ex-wife?"

"I'm sorry, you have every right to be angry, I fucked up big, okay? But I have to find Lori, it can't be true! Your little bitch is making up lies-"

Beth gasped as Rick grabbed Shane and in a flash planted Shane's face on the hood of the patrol car and had one hand gripping Shane's arms as his forearm held Shane down on his neck. "Apologize," Rick's voice is deadly cool.

"What the fuck? Rick, get off of me! She's telling lies about Lori!" Shane squirmed but Rick didn't give any leeway.

"You don't know that. Apologize. Now." Rick put more pressure on Shane's neck and Shane growls out: "I'm sorry."

"Now, we'll go talk to Lori, I'm going with you to keep you in line. Beth, go home." Rick never looked at her but Beth nodded and rushed to her car regardless. Her heart was pounding with fear and adrenaline as she fumbled with her keys. She watched Rick and Shane get into the patrol car and pull away before leaving herself. What did she do?

* * *

Beth should have stayed away from Rick for a few days, giving him either time to cool off or approach Beth when he was ready. But, as they say, hindsight is twenty/twenty. So after Rick and Shane left, Beth went to Rick's place to wait for him and apologize. When Rick came home a few hours later he was still too agitated and somehow Beth found herself in a knock-down, drag-out screaming match with Rick.

She wasn't sure how it started, but she knew she was the first to raise her voice when Rick seemed angrier with her than Lori: "Why are you defending her actions? She kept me from getting a real job! I could have stopped waiting tables and started working towards an actual career!"

Beth didn't have much of her Irish heritage, not like Maggie did. But for the first time in a very long time, Beth was beyond angry. She knew she was being unreasonable, she had felt guilty and shocked at her own actions almost immediately after she had told Rick and Shane, but with her blood pumping and anger singing in her veins, her mild mannered disposition went right out the window. How dare Rick be angry with her when all she was trying to do was apologize for her behavior?

"I'm not defending her actions, I'm pissed at your actions." Rick wasn't yelling, not yet, but he had a cool, angry look in his eyes and he was clenching his fists to help maintain his control.

"My actions? I'm not the baby killer!"

"You should have told me. You've known for months!"

"Why was it any of your business? Lori is your ex-wife. _EX_."

"So I'm not supposed to care that she was fucking my best friend? Lori and I were together for thirteen years. Shane has been my best friend since middle school! How could I not care?!"

"I didn't know anything about Shane! Lori and I didn't sit around and have a girl's night." Rick snorted at that, he turned his back on Beth and that only sent another wave of anger washing over her. He was not walking away from this. "I was trying to help you! I made her a promise not to tell anyone in exchange for her going easier on you."

"That wasn't your decision to make. I don't need you helping me with my problems with Lori."

"Because you're handling it so well yourself? Rick, you're thirty-five years old and you live in an apartment because your ex-wife takes half your paycheck! Your son is miserable and feels like a pawn! I don't think that's classified as handling it well!"

"What did you say about Carl?" Rick turned back to face her, and Beth almost faltered at Rick's thunderous expression.

She should have stopped, but she didn't. "Rick, he's an unbalanced rollercoaster of emotions. The poor kid is starved for affection from his parents!"

"I don't need you, of all people, telling me I can't take care of my son! What do you know?! At least I'm not running away or sleeping with my problems!"

It was too much. Beth's anger finally turned to tears, but she didn't want them to fall, not in front of Rick. "I-you're right," Beth's voice came out quiet, and that clearly unsettled Rick more than her words. Beth had been yelling at him, full of fire and brimstone and her sudden withdrawal left him reeling. "I'm sorry, that's what I wanted to say," Beth grabbed her purse and pushed past Rick to get to the front door.

"Shit. Beth, wait-"

But Beth slammed the door and ran to her car and Rick didn't follow.

* * *

**A/N:** Review, pretty please?


End file.
